Ghost Fleet, Singer and Cole - B

                                                This book is subtitled 'A Novel of the Next World War' and is set in the near future - I'm guessing the early 2030's.  China is ruled by the Directorate, a much more capable, efficient and honest regime than the CCP. The US has been bashed by a series of financial crises and the oil of the mideast is lost because someone blew up a dirty bomb near the Straits of Hormuz.  We've cut back on our defense spending when the Chinese strike, and it is very scary to read about how precisely and devastatingly they do strike. They neutralize all of our space-based communications, destroy all of our nuclear subs in the Pacific and successfully destroy Pearl Harbor and occupy Hawaii. Our European NATO partners quickly desert us and we are very diminished and alone.  The counter-attack is based on a lot of old air and naval materiel and some good old American nerve and fortitude. This novel is a total fun read and to some extent, an eye-opener. It makes the point that the strategic challenge to the US is not in the sandpit; it is in the east.

The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger And A Forgotten Genocide, Bass - B +

                                                This book is the history of Pakistan's genocidal abuse of its Bengali population in East Pakistan in 1971. War with India and the eventual independence of Bangladesh followed. Pakistan was a US cold war ally and our backdoor for Kissinger's rapprochement with China. They were the recipients of substantial foreign and military aid. Nixon liked the military leaders in Pakistan and despised the heirs of Nehru in India. Pakistan itself was an anomaly, the two sections separated by a thousand miles, and vastly different climates and cultures. Although Muslims, the Bengalis in the east had little in common with the West Pakistanis. A nationwide vote in December of 1970 led to an overwhelming victory for the more populous Bengalis from East Pakistan. It was unthinkable in Islamabad that the dovish, left-leaning, Bengali-populated Awami League could rule the country.  They were anathema to the Pashtuns and the militaristic rulers of the country. The military refused to allow the National Assembly to meet, quashed the nascent move to democracy and decided to violently suppress East Pakistan. Airlifted into East Pakistan, the army began the systematic, unprovoked slaughter of civilians, with a particular emphasis on the Hindu minority. Spring in East Pakistan was a bloodbath. Kissinger took the position that the US does not meddle in another country's internal affairs. Opposition to America's indifference (if not support as all of the Pakistan military's equipment was ours) was very high in the US Consulate in Dacca. The Consul General, Archer Blood, and almost the entire staff affixed their signatures to the first formal dissent cable in the history of the Foreign Service. They characterized the Pakistani action, particularly with respect to the Hindus, as a 'genocide.' It was a renewal of the violence of the Partition over two decades earlier.
                                                With millions of refugees, of whom approximately 90% were Hindus, flooding India, and with a Bangladeshi revolution starting, the Indians began to contemplate the strategic advantages of war against their sworn enemy.  Cutting Pakistan in half was a very attractive option.The monsoon season prevented any immediate action; war before November was not possible. Amidst the ongoing slaughter of innocents, there was a drumbeat of condemnation for the ongoing US military support for Pakistan. But, for Nixon and Kissinger, it all was an annoying distraction. The Pakistani strongman, Yaya, was the intermediary between Kissinger and Chou En Lai. Nixon felt the approach to China was the most important event in US foreign policy since WW2; Kissinger, since the Civil War. Those who complained about the internal problems of Pakistan received no succor in the Nixon White House. As the refugees continued to flood into India, the Indians upped their assistance to the Bengali guerrillas. Civil government in East Pakistan was virtually non-existent. It was in total chaos. By the time Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India, visited Washington in early November, India had been overwhelmed by 10 million refugees. War was on the horizon.
                                              It began on Dec.3rd when Pakistan attacked in the north. "It is a measure of how well the war went that India's generals have squabbled about credit ever since." By the 7th, progress in the east was so substantial that India recognized Bangladesh. Because India was allied with the USSR in the cold war, Nixon and Kissinger went ballistic and marshaled opinion in the UN in opposition to India. In violation of US law, Nixon and Kissinger used Iran and Jordan to funnel arms, replacements and supplies to Pakistan. They escalated by inviting Chinese help and threatening the Soviets. By the two-week mark, Dacca had surrendered and Gandhi declared a cease-fire, as India had no territorial ambitions in the north. Pakistan was sundered and defeated.  Neither superpower had meaningful strategic interests in the sub-continent and the cold war moved on. It is in Pakistan that the war had the most consequences. It led to a further militarization of society, a heavy dose of Islamization and the development of the atomic bomb. When India's cold war ally invaded Afghanistan in 1979, Pakistan allied itself with the Taliban, leading to its strategic predicament today. Thanks to my brother, Bill, for this recommendation.
                                             
                                               

Palace of Treason, Matthews - B

                                               I absolutely loved the author's first book two years ago in what looks to be a new series.  The players, CIA agent Nate Nash and Russian femme fatale Captain Domi Egarova are still pulling off miracles. This, time Nate cultivates a Russian general who has turned and Domi gets to become part of the Russian Federation's highest intelligence advisory team. They turn a nasty trick on the Iranians and of course, the good guys prevail. The author is a career CIA alum and the books sparkle with excellent tradecraft. I thought this went a bit long, but I'm sure I'll be ready for the next one.

Blue: The LAPD And The Battle To Redeem American Policing, Domanick - B +

                                               This is the story of the police department in the last quarter of a century in the nation's second largest city. It is told through the prism of four successive chiefs of police. The reason redemption was required for the LAPD can be found in the decades leading up to the Rodney King riots of 1992. Its police chiefs believed that well-dressed robo-cop-looking policemen, who acted decisively with military precision and, often, military-like violence were what the city needed as it transitioned from middle class white Protestant to a black/brown ghetto. As the city became blacker and browner, and as the war on drugs clamped down on all offenders, the LAPD put in prison a third of the state's total and did so with unrestrained violence. The police were both feared and despised. When the all-white Simi Valley jury exonerated the cops who had beaten King, the city exploded. Within six months, the fifteen-year chief, the notoriously tough Daryl Gates, was forced out. He was followed by a black man from Philadelphia who was welcomed by one and all. Willie Williams was a nice guy. That was his calling card and primary skill. He was overweight in a police department that cared about how you looked, didn't carry a gun (he thrice failed the test out-of-state police officers had to pass to be permitted a weapon), was undermined at every turn, and was doomed to failure soon after his arrival.  His indifference and profound incompetence are difficult to fathom. It is as if he realized he was in way over his head and hung on as long as he could, presumably for the money and ego satisfaction. In 1997, he was replaced by Bernie Parks, one of LA's own.  Condescending, arrogant and focused on  minutiae, Parks wasn't meant to be either.  On his watch, the city entered into a consent decree with the Department of Justice because of its inability to rein in the police force. Next up was Bill Bratton, the man generally considered to have turned around both the Transit Police in New York and the NYPD itself. Over seven years, Bratton engineered an astounding change.  He met with his officers and captains and told them they had one job - reduce crime. He junked most of the command structure and let the department know that they had to meet with and work with the institutions and people of the city.  Arrests for their own sake were no longer the objective. Brutality and corruption were no longer standard.  Bratton changed the course of policing in LA. One of the key successes was the concept of gang interdiction. Former gang members were teamed with locals and the police, were educated, trained and successful in slowing down gang violence. The book finishes on an optimistic high note. That high note, though, is lost as the author recounts in his epilogue the plague of police violence against  blacks in the last few years. Add in some dicey statistics from LA, Chicago and NY and one begins to wonder if the touted reduction in crime has been a all that it  has been said to be. Nonetheless it appears, that because of people like Bill Bratton, our society is making some positive movement on this front.

The Promise, Crais - B +

                                               This novel is the sixteenth in the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series. Unlike many of the other very good suspense writers, Crais takes his time. By my reckoning, it's been two-and-a-half years since his most recent book. His are all set in southern California, like Connelly's, and that is a sweetener for me these last four years. Joe is retained by a woman who is concerned about the erratic behavior of a work colleague, who appears to have fallen in with some odd, different and dangerous folks. Along the way, Cole crosses paths with Scott James, the K-9 officer , who was featured in Crais' last novel. Pike is his usual spooky very silent self. Throw in Homeland Security, the LAPD, and a fine twisting plot and you have a  great read.

The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: The Life And Times Of Jacob Fugger, Steinmetz - B

                                               At the time of his death in 1525, Jacob Fugger's net worth was approximately 2% of the economic output of Europe. The author contends that no one has since achieved such wealth. "He was the first modern businessman in that he was the first to pursue wealth for its own sake and without fear of damnation."  The Fuggers of Augsburg were already successful merchants when the seventh son began his rise in the family business. He trained in Venice and began the family's expansion into mining. His ability to monopolize the output of a single silver mine helped him achieve the role that led to his greatest successes: financier to the Hapsburgs. In order to protect his mines in Hungary, he engineered the Hapsburg acquisition of the Hungarian crown. He extended his reach to Italy and minted coins for the Papacy. He helped the dying Emperor Maximilian arrange for his grandson Charles, King of Spain, to succeed him as Emperor. His influence was everywhere. As a Catholic, he was instrumental in the traditionalist opposition to Luther. His wealth was so substantial that he is considered one of the causes of the 1525 revolt known as  the German Peasants' War, which three hundred years later, Frederick Engels argued prefigured the clash between capitalism and communism. His nephews carried on his business for a hundred years after his death and his heirs still are prominent in Germany. The history of the era is usually told from the perspective  of kings, emperors, popes, reformers and warriors. This is an enjoyably different view.

The Crossing, Connelly - B +

                                                This is the latest novel in the Harry Bosch series. Harry is reluctantly retired from the LAPD, and is suing the city for wrongful termination. His half brother, Mickey Haller, the Lincoln Lawyer, is representing him in the civil case. Mickey calls and asks Harry for help on a murder case. Harry wants no part of going over to the other side until Mickey and the client convince him that the DA's case is completely tainted. Harry grapples with his betrayal by concluding that he is simply looking for the killer. It turns out that he uncovers an extortion plot run by two LAPD detectives. They've done a lot of murdering along the way and do not hesitate to kill a few more and come very close to catching Harry. Connelly is a master. As I've learned a bit of LA geography these last few years and am sitting in Southern California, it's even better than usual.

The Survivor, Mills - B

                                               Mitch Rapp is back. The Estate of Vince Flynn has found a writer to keep the franchise up and running and they've found a good one. The Survivor is of course, Mitch. Stan Hurley, Irene Kennedy and Mitch's ops team are all back and fighting bad guys all over the world. The principal opponent is a manipulative General in Pakistan's ISI, who is raking in vast amounts of American aid, with an eye on turning the table after he assassinates his own President. Throw in a Russian agent, a Swiss banker, a crooked US Senator and plenty of action. As always, it's all good.

One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America, Kruse - B +

                                             This acclaimed history book tells a surprising story. Although founded by European Christians, this country only became a nation 'under God' about nine score years after said founding. It was the professional soldier and the victor of WW2, Dwight Eisenhower who introduced a self-composed prayer at his inauguration. Earlier that day, he'd required that his cabinet join him at church. Ike was baptized later that week, opened his cabinet meetings with prayers, and attended the first National Prayer Breakfast. A year later, 'under God' was added to the Pledge of Allegiance, and a year after that: 'In God We Trust' was placed on our currency. "We soon came to believe that the United States of America was "one nation under God." It all stemmed, not from the Cold War, but big business' opposition to the New Deal.  Some of the vitriol pumped out by the National Association of Manufacturers is astounding.  Most of the upper echelons of the business world characterized the New Deal as a "denial of God." The growth of government was crippling initiative and morality, thus leading to over ten thousand ministers (almost all Protestant) signing up for the Spiritual Mobilization, an entity fully funded by big business in an effort to reverse the 20 years of Roosevelt and Truman. It's surprising to read 60 years after the fact that social security and veterans benefits were deemed sinful. Then, as now, so-called men of God endlessly interfered in the politics of the nation. "The vultures are now circling our debt ridden inflationary economy with its fifteen-year record of deficit finance and with its staggering national debt, to close in for the kill." That, in 1951, from Billy Graham. Hollywood joined the fray with dozens of biblical productions (The Ten Commandments being the apogee) and also countless religious activities led by Walt Disney, Ronnie Reagan, Jimmy Stewart and many more. Billy Graham toured the country and held endless crusades. Wasn't the wall between church and state shrinking, if not outright crumbling? Not according to a Yale law professor, who opined that 'ceremonial deism' was well within the rules.   It took a very religious man, a man who sent his children to Sunday school and who had profound belief in God to begin to turn the tide. Chief Justice Earl Warren and almost all of his colleagues pointed out that things like the Regents Prayer, mandated in NYS, and bible reading, which took place throughout the nation, really weren't 'ceremonial deism', but rather the compulsion of prayer by the state. And as such, they were not allowed.
                                          Nonetheless, the sacralization of government and politics has continued. Adopting God a religion are almost absolute requirements for national leaders. Reagan was the first president to close a speech with the phrase 'God bless America". Barack Obama does it today. Both Bushes and Clinton touted their commitment to religion. As for me, I'm with our third president and "the wall of separation between church and state."

The Hidden Man, Blake - B

                                               This a novel in a delightful series set in the 1740's in a mythical English village about a days ride east of Liverpool. The two key characters are the coroner, Titus Cragg, who narrates the stories and the local physician Luke Fidelis, who is his gruff buddy and fellow scientific thinker.  The two men try to apply some sensible early modern crime scene analysis to the grizzly deaths they come across.  The fun in the series is the background information and depth provided on various 18th century topics. In this one, the prime focus is on the slave trade that emanated from Liverpool. Ships with modest knick-knacks of the early industrial era sailed to Africa, obtained slaves for the 'middle passage' to the Caribbean and come home on the third leg with sugar, coffee, molasses, rum and other commodities in high demand in England. The profits were often 10 times the amount spent to outfit the venture. The author is a noted biographer.