6.29.2015
A Fine Summer's Day, Todd - B
In this almost twenty-year old series, the author decided to try a prequel. It is the summer of 1914 and Ian Rutledge is arduously pursuing a very challenging case in the face of a total lack of support, if not hostility, from his immediate superior. I thought the book two years ago was not up to par. And I find that this one is not as strong as one would hope. The case is complex and intriguing. The problem is that Jean, the woman Ian proposes to, is a vacuous airhead. She is the daughter of a retired general who is called back to duty in light of what transpires on the continent. She encourages Ian to enlist so that he may see glory as an officer. The last chapter is set on Boxing Day, 1914, after Ian has finished his training. It is certainly apparent that there is no glory to be had in this war. The fickle Jean articulates her change of heart. The greatness of this series is the despair of post-war England in the aftermath of the slaughter in the trenches. I view this prequel as just a filler and one that doesn't shed much light on Rutledge's development.
6.23.2015
Waterloo: The History Of Four Days, Three Armies, And Three Battles, Cornwell - B +
Napoleon traveled from Elba to Paris in the spring of 1815, gathering support and returning as Emperor to the acclaim of his people and the dismay of the again-deposed Bourbons. Knowing he was outnumbered, he headed north with 125,000 men to face Blucher with 120,000 and Wellington with 92,000. He had to act decisively before Russsia and Austria could mobilize. On the 16th, Napoleon attacked the Prussians, who constituted the left of the Allied armies, at Ligny. He defeated but did not destroy them. Five miles west, Marshal Ney attacked the British-Dutch at Quatre-Bras, but the Allies prevailed and held the junction road. Saturday the 17th was a day of lost opportunities for the French, who could have trapped Wellington at Quatre-Bras had they attacked. They let him slip away a few miles to the north. Dawn on the 18th saw the British-Dutch at Mont St Jean astride the road to Brussels and the Prussians waiting in support 12 miles to the east.
The author makes a comparison to Agincourt as the favored French (at Waterloo they had much more experienced and reliable soldiers), also had to attack over a muddy field. That challenged their artillery, as it limited their maneuverability, and they couldn't bounce their shells, which was a common early 19th century practice. He also emphasizes that Wellington took advantage of the reverse side of the hill on the battlefield. The French were on a crest overlooking a small valley and the British were on the 'reverse side' across the way. Napoleon delayed until late morning, waiting for the ground to dry, and began his attack on his left. The chateau at Hougoumont, a virtually impregnable set of buildings surrounded by wall and hedges, held fast as the French hurled thousands of men at it. The Emperor then turned to the Allied center. Although his artillery made a lot of noise and smoke, it did not inflict significant casualties. By 1PM, he could see the Prussians about six miles away and approaching. He sent 18,000 infantrymen into Wellington's middle. d'Erlons corps reached the crest of the hill when heavy cavalry counter-attacked and sent them back across the valley. Later in the afternoon, 9,000 cavalrymen attacked 20,000 infantrymen aligned in squares which were impervious to attack. Horses would swerve away from the bayonets of the first and second line and were slaughtered by the muskets of the back lines. The French attacked perhaps as many as a dozen times over two afternoon hours. Throughout the entire day, Wellington rode all along the lines, exposed to fire that killed many of his aides, yet managing, leading, observing and further embellishing his already legendary career.
"Sometime during the massacre of the French horsemen guns sounded far off to the East." The Prussians were coming. By now, it was after six, although there were still hours of sunshine left. The French finally moved up their artillery and began to take a fearful toll on the Allies. "All along the ridge there was death and mutilation." As the Prussians entered the fray, Napoleon played his last card. He ordered his undefeated Immortals, the Imperial Guard, forward. They crested the ridge, began to deploy in a line and were met with blistering fire by the British. "And when they broke, so did the hopes of France."
Many have written about Waterloo, including noted novelists of the 19th century, Stendahl and Hugo. This is the author's first book of non-fiction and I suspect it is his skill as a novelist that brings this book to life. The weekend before the 200th anniversary, a reviewer in the Financial Times praised it as the best book ever on the battle.
The author makes a comparison to Agincourt as the favored French (at Waterloo they had much more experienced and reliable soldiers), also had to attack over a muddy field. That challenged their artillery, as it limited their maneuverability, and they couldn't bounce their shells, which was a common early 19th century practice. He also emphasizes that Wellington took advantage of the reverse side of the hill on the battlefield. The French were on a crest overlooking a small valley and the British were on the 'reverse side' across the way. Napoleon delayed until late morning, waiting for the ground to dry, and began his attack on his left. The chateau at Hougoumont, a virtually impregnable set of buildings surrounded by wall and hedges, held fast as the French hurled thousands of men at it. The Emperor then turned to the Allied center. Although his artillery made a lot of noise and smoke, it did not inflict significant casualties. By 1PM, he could see the Prussians about six miles away and approaching. He sent 18,000 infantrymen into Wellington's middle. d'Erlons corps reached the crest of the hill when heavy cavalry counter-attacked and sent them back across the valley. Later in the afternoon, 9,000 cavalrymen attacked 20,000 infantrymen aligned in squares which were impervious to attack. Horses would swerve away from the bayonets of the first and second line and were slaughtered by the muskets of the back lines. The French attacked perhaps as many as a dozen times over two afternoon hours. Throughout the entire day, Wellington rode all along the lines, exposed to fire that killed many of his aides, yet managing, leading, observing and further embellishing his already legendary career.
"Sometime during the massacre of the French horsemen guns sounded far off to the East." The Prussians were coming. By now, it was after six, although there were still hours of sunshine left. The French finally moved up their artillery and began to take a fearful toll on the Allies. "All along the ridge there was death and mutilation." As the Prussians entered the fray, Napoleon played his last card. He ordered his undefeated Immortals, the Imperial Guard, forward. They crested the ridge, began to deploy in a line and were met with blistering fire by the British. "And when they broke, so did the hopes of France."
Many have written about Waterloo, including noted novelists of the 19th century, Stendahl and Hugo. This is the author's first book of non-fiction and I suspect it is his skill as a novelist that brings this book to life. The weekend before the 200th anniversary, a reviewer in the Financial Times praised it as the best book ever on the battle.
6.19.2015
Foundations: The History Of England From Its Earliest Beginnings To The Tudors, Ackroyd - A*
This is the first of a planned six volume history of England. As Peter Ackroyd is one of my all time favorites, I've decided to undertake the venture. The word Britain was first used by a Greek traveller in 325 BC. The island was extensively engaged in trade with the continent when Caesar invaded in 55 BC. A hundred years later, the actual 40 year-conquest of England was begun by Claudius. "England's ports, its metals, its taxes helped to sustain the vast engine of Roman commerce." Britain was a breadbasket for the Empire. By the time the Roman military withdrew in the early 5th century, Christianity had been established south of Hadrian's Wall. The next invaders were the Germanic tribes of the Angles, Saxons, Frisians and Jutes, who over the course of centuries gained the upper hand in England. The disparate kingdoms of England came together to respond to an external threat when the Vikings arrived on the scene in 790. "In 865, a great host of Danes descended on east Anglia." The areas of the Danelaw in eastern England became the most prosperous in the land. By the end of the millennium, England was an established society with prosperous cities, with shire boundaries that would last until the 19th century and a feudal system wherein obligations and responsibilities were fully defined.
William, duke of Normandy, felt slighted when the crown of the King of the English went to Harald in 1066 and he invaded. He prevailed at Hastings and then terrorized London before he was crowned on Christmas day. He extended his power and began the lengthy, acrimonious contest with the Church over sovereignty. He took the position that only he, and not the Pope, could appoint the bishops of England. The Conqueror was succeeded by two sons, a grandson and a great-grandson, Henry II in 1154. Henry's father was Geoffrey of Anjou or Geoffrey Plantagenet. He was, thus, the first of more than 300 years of Plantagenet kings. "It was said the family was the scion of Satan himself." Henry II will be forever known as the king who appointed his close friend and Chancellor as Archbishop of Canterbury. Thomas Beckett did not prove to be as compliant as Henry had wished. After six years of bickering over their respective powers, Beckett ex-communicated the Archbishop of York, sending Henry into a rage, during which he muttered his desire to be "rid of this turbulent priest". Beckett's death forced Henry to cede power to the Church. Although it is his battles with the Archbishop that he is most remembered for, his reign also saw the expansion of the common law and the laying of the foundation of the English legal system. His sons, Richard I and John I, were known for their endless, rapacious taxing and for squeezing every last penny out of their subjects, a series of abuses that led to the Magna Carta in 1215. John also lost most of the French land that his Norman and Angevin inheritance carried and, upon his death, a chronicler of the day said, "Hell felt herself defiled by his admission." The 13th century saw the reigns of Henry III, for half-a-century, and then Edward I, during which the barons, the new Parliament and the monarchy continued their on going struggle for power, wealth and control. The reign of Edward II saw humiliating defeat at Bannockburn and a three-year Great Famine before he was deposed by his Queen, Isabella, and replaced by his son.
The inherent tension between the ruled and the ruler was rivaled by a greater one between the kings of England and France. From the time of the Conqueror, the English monarchs were dukes of Normandy, Anjou, Aquitaine, Gascony or some combination thereof. Thus, they were vassals of the French king and holders of land on the continent. Phillip of Valois and Edward III began the Hundred Years War and the author suggests that it continued until Waterloo. Edward III was victorious in 1346 at Crecy, the first of the three famous, yet meaningless, English victories in France that were generally attributed to the merits of the English longbow. Two years later, the Black Plague arrived. Over the next thirty years, it returned three more times. The population of England was reduced by a third to a half. It would take 400 years to recover. Nonetheless, the fabric of society held. In 1356, Edward's son, the Black Prince, not only prevailed when outnumbered at Poitiers, but also captured the French king and held him in London for ransom. A temporary peace followed. Two decades later both Henry III and his son, died leaving the crown in 1277 to ten year old Richard II who reigned for over twenty years before being deposed by his cousin, the Duke of Lancaster, who became Henry IV, thus establishing the Lancaster branch of the Plantagenets.
His son, Henry V, reopened the Hundred Years War and achieved immortal fame at Agincourt on St. Crispin's Day, Oct. 24, 1415. He was honored and acclaimed throughout England, but his parliament and barons knew that campaigning in France was expensive business. His success led to his marriage to Katherine Valois, the King's daughter, and an agreement that any son would be acclaimed king of both countries. He died in August, 1422 leaving an 8-month-old heir. Although Henry V's success in France proved to be of no lasting value, his reign is considered a time in which the nation was established in the popular mind, the language became dominant while both French and Latin fell from common usage, and the Church of England began to distance itself somewhat from Rome. It was becoming "this blessed realm." Unfortunately, Henry VI grew to be an ineffectual king, one who lost whatever was left to the English in France and who had a surfeit of uncles and cousins looking over his shoulder. The contretemps between him and the the Duke of York would lead to the War of the Roses. Over matched, the Lancaster's enlisted the help of Owen Tudor, the King's half brother (Henry V's widow had married a Welsh courtier). Round one of the thirty-year civil war, which would entail a dozen bloody battles, went to the rebels, as the Duke of York was crowned king as Edward IV. He was cursed with two malcontent brothers, the first the duke of Clarence, who he had murdered in the Tower and the second, Richard Duke of Gloucester. Edward died at 40, leaving as his oldest a fourteen-year-old who would be king for only 88 days. Gloucester imprisoned the king and his younger brother (the Princes) in the Tower and was proclaimed as Richard III. In the summer of 1485, he died at Bosworth Field and Henry Tudor became Henry VII. The crown had repeatedly changed hands through violence, and the new king was no more than a usurper who had to ask the Pope to legitimize his rule. He married his oldest daughter to the king of Scotland, thus calming centuries of conflict and abandoned the Plantagenet obsession of interfering on the continent. He died without debt and passed on his throne without controversy. Henry XIII became king in 1509.
Ackroyd sums up by stating that throughout it all, "below the surface of events lies a deep, and almost geological, calm." "Unlike the provinces and sub-kingdoms of France or of Spain, or the fissiparous states and duchies of Europe, or of the city-states of Italy, England was all of a piece." "Continuity, rather than change, is the measure of the country." This is a wonderful book and very helpful in organizing the medieval era for me. Although an Irish-American, I must confess that I am an unabashed Anglophile and thoroughly enjoyed this volume.
William, duke of Normandy, felt slighted when the crown of the King of the English went to Harald in 1066 and he invaded. He prevailed at Hastings and then terrorized London before he was crowned on Christmas day. He extended his power and began the lengthy, acrimonious contest with the Church over sovereignty. He took the position that only he, and not the Pope, could appoint the bishops of England. The Conqueror was succeeded by two sons, a grandson and a great-grandson, Henry II in 1154. Henry's father was Geoffrey of Anjou or Geoffrey Plantagenet. He was, thus, the first of more than 300 years of Plantagenet kings. "It was said the family was the scion of Satan himself." Henry II will be forever known as the king who appointed his close friend and Chancellor as Archbishop of Canterbury. Thomas Beckett did not prove to be as compliant as Henry had wished. After six years of bickering over their respective powers, Beckett ex-communicated the Archbishop of York, sending Henry into a rage, during which he muttered his desire to be "rid of this turbulent priest". Beckett's death forced Henry to cede power to the Church. Although it is his battles with the Archbishop that he is most remembered for, his reign also saw the expansion of the common law and the laying of the foundation of the English legal system. His sons, Richard I and John I, were known for their endless, rapacious taxing and for squeezing every last penny out of their subjects, a series of abuses that led to the Magna Carta in 1215. John also lost most of the French land that his Norman and Angevin inheritance carried and, upon his death, a chronicler of the day said, "Hell felt herself defiled by his admission." The 13th century saw the reigns of Henry III, for half-a-century, and then Edward I, during which the barons, the new Parliament and the monarchy continued their on going struggle for power, wealth and control. The reign of Edward II saw humiliating defeat at Bannockburn and a three-year Great Famine before he was deposed by his Queen, Isabella, and replaced by his son.
The inherent tension between the ruled and the ruler was rivaled by a greater one between the kings of England and France. From the time of the Conqueror, the English monarchs were dukes of Normandy, Anjou, Aquitaine, Gascony or some combination thereof. Thus, they were vassals of the French king and holders of land on the continent. Phillip of Valois and Edward III began the Hundred Years War and the author suggests that it continued until Waterloo. Edward III was victorious in 1346 at Crecy, the first of the three famous, yet meaningless, English victories in France that were generally attributed to the merits of the English longbow. Two years later, the Black Plague arrived. Over the next thirty years, it returned three more times. The population of England was reduced by a third to a half. It would take 400 years to recover. Nonetheless, the fabric of society held. In 1356, Edward's son, the Black Prince, not only prevailed when outnumbered at Poitiers, but also captured the French king and held him in London for ransom. A temporary peace followed. Two decades later both Henry III and his son, died leaving the crown in 1277 to ten year old Richard II who reigned for over twenty years before being deposed by his cousin, the Duke of Lancaster, who became Henry IV, thus establishing the Lancaster branch of the Plantagenets.
His son, Henry V, reopened the Hundred Years War and achieved immortal fame at Agincourt on St. Crispin's Day, Oct. 24, 1415. He was honored and acclaimed throughout England, but his parliament and barons knew that campaigning in France was expensive business. His success led to his marriage to Katherine Valois, the King's daughter, and an agreement that any son would be acclaimed king of both countries. He died in August, 1422 leaving an 8-month-old heir. Although Henry V's success in France proved to be of no lasting value, his reign is considered a time in which the nation was established in the popular mind, the language became dominant while both French and Latin fell from common usage, and the Church of England began to distance itself somewhat from Rome. It was becoming "this blessed realm." Unfortunately, Henry VI grew to be an ineffectual king, one who lost whatever was left to the English in France and who had a surfeit of uncles and cousins looking over his shoulder. The contretemps between him and the the Duke of York would lead to the War of the Roses. Over matched, the Lancaster's enlisted the help of Owen Tudor, the King's half brother (Henry V's widow had married a Welsh courtier). Round one of the thirty-year civil war, which would entail a dozen bloody battles, went to the rebels, as the Duke of York was crowned king as Edward IV. He was cursed with two malcontent brothers, the first the duke of Clarence, who he had murdered in the Tower and the second, Richard Duke of Gloucester. Edward died at 40, leaving as his oldest a fourteen-year-old who would be king for only 88 days. Gloucester imprisoned the king and his younger brother (the Princes) in the Tower and was proclaimed as Richard III. In the summer of 1485, he died at Bosworth Field and Henry Tudor became Henry VII. The crown had repeatedly changed hands through violence, and the new king was no more than a usurper who had to ask the Pope to legitimize his rule. He married his oldest daughter to the king of Scotland, thus calming centuries of conflict and abandoned the Plantagenet obsession of interfering on the continent. He died without debt and passed on his throne without controversy. Henry XIII became king in 1509.
Ackroyd sums up by stating that throughout it all, "below the surface of events lies a deep, and almost geological, calm." "Unlike the provinces and sub-kingdoms of France or of Spain, or the fissiparous states and duchies of Europe, or of the city-states of Italy, England was all of a piece." "Continuity, rather than change, is the measure of the country." This is a wonderful book and very helpful in organizing the medieval era for me. Although an Irish-American, I must confess that I am an unabashed Anglophile and thoroughly enjoyed this volume.
The Girl On The Train, Hawkins - C +
This is a very intriguing read, one told from a very unique perspective. The narrator ( Rachel, the girl of the title) is one totally f.....ed up, delusional, drunk, needy voyeur who watches people from a train and makes up tales about their lives. One problem is that one of the families on Blenheim Rd. is her ex-husband, his wife and daughter. Another person is an unfaithful wife who goes missing on the same night Rachel is in the neighborhood and blacks out for hours. For three hundred relentless pages, Rachel makes a total fool of herself, continuously lying to all, trying to see her ex, and interfering in the murder investigation by getting close to the victim's husband and psychologist. The ending is creative enough to make this a bestseller, but it doesn't cut it for me.
6.10.2015
Gangsterland, Goldberg - B
This is a very good read and, yet, one very difficult to characterize. It's not a laugh-out -loud, but rather a dry, witty, dark chronicle about Sal Cupertino, a Chicago-based hit man for the mob. Sal is at the top of the pyramid in his chosen profession when he makes a mistake and the mob determines he is too capable to dispose of. So, they recycle him in LasVegas as a Rabbi. As the author is Jewish, one assumes he can take such liberties, as the now-Rabbi David Cohen combines a life of tending to his flock and doing the mob's bidding in his free time. However, the responsibilities of the particular temple and its related funeral home are not what one associates with a religious life. Indeed, it is a mob front and one very close to being exposed. This is the authors first book and I believe he flubs the ending.
6.06.2015
The Fall Of The Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East, Rogan - A *
August 1914 found the Ottoman Empire in disarray. In the 25 years prior to the war, it had lost 40% of its territory. It had been ruled, more or less, by a triumvirate of Young Turks since 1908 and was besieged on the west by the Balkan powers that they had once ruled. They feared that their co-religionists in the south were hoping for Arab independence. In the east, the Catholic Armenians wanted their own homeland, and just past them were the Russians, who wanted Constantinople. They needed an ally and a lot of help. They allied with Germany and joined the war in November. "Many in the German high command believed that the Ottomans' greatest contribution would come less from the Turkish army than from the internal uprisings Ottoman military action might provoke among Muslims under French colonial rule in North Africa, under the British in Egypt and India, and under the Russians in the Caucasus and Central Asia." Believed incapable of defending thousands of miles of borders, they were attacked on all fronts. The Russians prevailed in the Caucasus. The British captured Basra and stopped an Ottoman advance on the Suez Canal. The British and French tried to capture Constantinople by running the Bosporus in late April, 1915. They lost four capital ships, a third of the eastern Mediterranean fleet. Next, they tried a land advance through the Gallipoli peninsula and successfully landed 50,000 men. However, the Turks vigorously defended their homeland and Kitchner was required to substantially reinforce the effort. In the end, the Turks' defense was too much. Each side had half-a-million casualties. The victory strengthened the Central Powers because Bulgaria joined them, thus creating a rail connections between Central Europe and Constantinople. German equipment and material flowed to the Ottomans.
Meanwhile tragedy unfolded in the east. The Armenians were in the proverbial middle. Their homeland was equally divided between the two Empires, but their loyalty was with the Russians. They were considered disloyal fifth-columnists by the Ottoman government. Although there is no smoking gun, the author states "Ottoman documents and contemporary memoirs suggest the top three Young Turk officials made key decisions initiating the annihilation of the Armenian community of Turkey between February and March 1915." Deportations led to rumored revolt led to the arrest in Istanbul of the Armenian elite led to actual revolt led to violent suppression and ultimately genocide. There is no consensus on the total killed, the numbers ranging from 750,000 to 1.5 million.
The British efforts in Mesopotamia were conducted under the auspices of the Indian government and initially met with failure. After a disastrous defeat at Kut, just south of Baghdad, the Indian Army captured the famed city. To the west, British efforts were focused on supporting and encouraging an Arab revolt. They had to promise Arab independence after the war in order to achieve their revolt against the Ottomans. Unknown to the Arabs, the promise excluded the British protectorate over the Persian Gulf provinces and French ambitions in the Levant. "So began the fateful link between the Hashemite revolt in Arabia and the British campaign in Palestine that, between them, would ultimately spell the downfall of the Ottoman Empire." By the end of 1917, Jerusalem fell and, once again, the British promise was further diluted. The Balfour Declaration stated there would be a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The last year of the war started well for the Ottomans. Russia withdrew from the war and, returned three former provinces to them. Allenby had to transfer 60,000 men to France, resulting in repeated failures to advance east from Jerusalem. Instead, the British and Arabs headed north and crushed the Turks on their way to Damascus. By the end of October, the Empire signed an armistice agreement with the UK.
"Caught between the conflicting demands of the victorious powers and Turkish nationalists, the Ottomans ultimately fell more as a result of the terms of the peace than of the magnitude of their defeat." The Young Turk leaders fled to Berlin while a military tribunal sentenced 18 of them to death for the Armenian genocide. Armenians tracked down and assassinated ten of the eighteen. The Allies stripped the Empire of its Arab provinces and reduced the Turkish homeland significantly. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the general who had won at Gallipoli, rejected the treaty, deposed the Sultan and pushed the Allies out of the country. He renegotiated the treaty, thus creating the modern state with himself as president. "The Ottoman front, with its Asian battlefield and global soldiers, turned Europe's Great War into the First World War. And in the Middle East more than any part of the world, the legacies of the Great War continue to be felt down to the present day."
Meanwhile tragedy unfolded in the east. The Armenians were in the proverbial middle. Their homeland was equally divided between the two Empires, but their loyalty was with the Russians. They were considered disloyal fifth-columnists by the Ottoman government. Although there is no smoking gun, the author states "Ottoman documents and contemporary memoirs suggest the top three Young Turk officials made key decisions initiating the annihilation of the Armenian community of Turkey between February and March 1915." Deportations led to rumored revolt led to the arrest in Istanbul of the Armenian elite led to actual revolt led to violent suppression and ultimately genocide. There is no consensus on the total killed, the numbers ranging from 750,000 to 1.5 million.
The British efforts in Mesopotamia were conducted under the auspices of the Indian government and initially met with failure. After a disastrous defeat at Kut, just south of Baghdad, the Indian Army captured the famed city. To the west, British efforts were focused on supporting and encouraging an Arab revolt. They had to promise Arab independence after the war in order to achieve their revolt against the Ottomans. Unknown to the Arabs, the promise excluded the British protectorate over the Persian Gulf provinces and French ambitions in the Levant. "So began the fateful link between the Hashemite revolt in Arabia and the British campaign in Palestine that, between them, would ultimately spell the downfall of the Ottoman Empire." By the end of 1917, Jerusalem fell and, once again, the British promise was further diluted. The Balfour Declaration stated there would be a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The last year of the war started well for the Ottomans. Russia withdrew from the war and, returned three former provinces to them. Allenby had to transfer 60,000 men to France, resulting in repeated failures to advance east from Jerusalem. Instead, the British and Arabs headed north and crushed the Turks on their way to Damascus. By the end of October, the Empire signed an armistice agreement with the UK.
"Caught between the conflicting demands of the victorious powers and Turkish nationalists, the Ottomans ultimately fell more as a result of the terms of the peace than of the magnitude of their defeat." The Young Turk leaders fled to Berlin while a military tribunal sentenced 18 of them to death for the Armenian genocide. Armenians tracked down and assassinated ten of the eighteen. The Allies stripped the Empire of its Arab provinces and reduced the Turkish homeland significantly. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the general who had won at Gallipoli, rejected the treaty, deposed the Sultan and pushed the Allies out of the country. He renegotiated the treaty, thus creating the modern state with himself as president. "The Ottoman front, with its Asian battlefield and global soldiers, turned Europe's Great War into the First World War. And in the Middle East more than any part of the world, the legacies of the Great War continue to be felt down to the present day."
6.01.2015
Five, Archer - B
This police thriller is set in Salzburg, Austria. The main character is Bea, a policewoman, recently divorced and struggling with her responsibilities to her job and her two children. She can be very focused and, in this debut novel, Bea is presented with a real mind-bender. A serial killer leaves clues for and taunts the police. The clues are based on the outdoor hobby/game of geo-caching, which is hunting for items hidden in the forest utilizing GPS specifics and written tips. The end is never remotely evident. It's a classic 'beach' read.
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