Michael A. Draper's Blog, page 4

Take me Back to my Red River Valley" Lyrics

"Redye Fulda Cold" tells of another military adventure of the likable Bill Fortin who
served in the U.S. Army 3rd Armor Division from 1968 to 1970.

Fortin and his unit take part in a little known conflict pitted against an invasion force from Russia.

As a reader of military action stories, I've enjoyed a number of excellent military adventures.

After enjoying the singular accomplishments of Dewey Anderson in a modern day conflict against the Russian Mafia in "Independence Day," then read of Scott Harvath in action in the Republic of Congo in "Code of Conduct."

"Redeye Fulda Cold" provides a good change of pace for the reader of military adventure who enjoys action in the 1960s to 1970. As I was in active service from 1967-1970, I felt something in common with the solciers in this story. I tried to imagine myself in the same circumstances as Fortin and wondered how I would have acted.

The story is described realistically and was an enjoyable read.

Tell me why

Dr. David Beck lost his wife eight years ago. Her body was discovered by the roadside and serial killer Elroy Kellroy was arrested for her murder.

During the following eight years, Beck tried to get on with his life and his medical practice. Then, officials reopened the case and Beck became the main suspect.

Harlan Coben does a fine job in setting the scenario and creating believable characters. Beck is a good man and we want to root for him but he's faced with some very evil opponents.

Beck takes some steps during the story that result in previous supporters turning against him. Eventually, he's left with few people totally supporting him.

It is easy for the reader to imagine what they would do in similar circumstances as Beck was faced with. There is also a secondary story being told at the same time. Then, just when it seems the reader can figure out what is happening, there is a surprise that Coben adds to increase the interest and keep us guessing.

This is an excellent story that was also made into a movie.

Make Me, Just Try It

Lee Child has a talent for creating nail biting suspense. In this psychological novel, Child demonstrates a nail biting story sprinkled a touch of romance.

Jack Reacher is traveling around the countryside - just for the experience. After his days in the military, he gets satisfaction by traveling around America and helping people in need, when necessary.

He comes to a town Mother's Rest. It's a desolate town set among the wheat fields with nothing much to offer other than a train station.

Reacher meets Michelle Chang a former FBI agent, now a private investigator. She's looking for her partner who had been hired to look into some secret of Mother's Rest but has now disappeared.

The story unfolds out as if it was written for Alfred Hitchcock. The town is hiding something and Jack and Michelle team up and retrace the steps of Michelle's missing partner to learn about the person who hired them.

The townsfolk they encounter are unhelpful and closed mouth. It was as if Jack and Michelle ran into a mid-western version of "The Valley of the Dolls"

As Reacher and Michelle peel back the hidden layers of the story, the suspense mounts and the secret being hidden comes to a frightening light.

This is a well told story with well described characters placed in a situation where the reader can relate to and wonder what they  might do if they were ever in a similar situation.

Along came a spider and sat down beside her...

Written by David Lagercrantz and narrated by Simon Vance
Here again is Lisbeth Salander, hacker, from a sadistic father and yet, heroic and brainy beyond imagination.
She's asked by her old friend Michael Blomkvist to help with a child who is a savant.  He's witnessed a murder, but the killer allows him to live because the killer didn't think he could communicate.
However, the boy had an outstanding ability to draw and Lisbeth brings out his skill -  thus displaying an image of the killer whose boss now wants the boy dead.  (Because he's a witness.)
There are other hackers at work and a mole within the government service.
Blomkvist is trying to write a story about the killers at work including a mysterious woman.
This is one of the most suspenseful books I've read this year.  And Salander is one of the best protagonists.

Love and Marriage go together like a horse and carriage

Meg Langslow's summer plans are filled with summer engagements.  She returned to her small Virginia hometown to be a bridesmaid for three weddings: her mother, her brother and for her best friend.
Early on she meets Michael Walterson, Professor of Theater, at a nearby college.  He was managing his mother's dress making shop.  Michael and Meg hit it off immediately.
There's not much controversy in the story except dealing with Meg's best friend Eileen complaints that her fiance Steven complains about including the Native American heritage purification ceremony in the wedding.  I can just imagine reacting to something like this in Virginia.
Then one of the characters if found dead and the sheriff comes to investigate and suspicion spreads.
The family relationships were interesting to view and how their personal connections can become upset.
Meg was resilient and interesting as a main character who can be respected.
The murder is a minor detail and the character who murdered is a bit obnoxious and unlikable.  Not much of an affect on the main part of the story or the three weddings.

One Not To Miss

In a change in literary direction Tess Gerritsen has written an enchanting historical novel.
The story is wrapped with the kind of characters who are interesting, and have a tale to tell, one that the reader will enjoy.
Julia Ansdell is a beautiful woman, she is an accomplished musician and purchases a piece of music at an antique store in Rome.
While playing the music at her home, there is an incident between her 3 year old daughter and the family cat.  This puts a scare in Julia and sets the tone for the remainder of the story.
Thereafter, the story is told in two parts, in current time and around WWII in Italy.
In Italy there is a family of musicians with a love of music, and of Italy.  There is a competition upcoming and they are preparing for it, but are concerned if they will be allowed to perform due to questions about their heritage.
Julia feels drawn to the music of the composer.  She begins investigating the origin of the music and the family.
We follow the Brownshirts and the family encounters with them and a particular Colonel who has a private agenda.
Gerritsen writes with an intimate flourish as if revealing parts of her own family.
RECOMMENDED

Friction is stranger than Fract

This complex story opens dramatically with Texas Ranger, Crawford Hunt, at family court. He hopes to gain custody of his five-year-old daughter, Georgia. Georgia had been under the custody of her maternal grandparents, Joe and Grace Gilroy.

Conrad took the death of his wife Beth very hard and knew he needed help with his daughter at that time but things have changed. However, Joe Gilroy is fighting for maintaining custody because he feels that Crawford is reckless.

A man dressed to cover his face bursts into the courtroom and attempts to kill the judge, Holly Spencer. Hunt is able to kick the assailant but not before another man is killed. Then there is a shootout on the roof of the courthouse and the gunman is killed.

This powerful start sets the tone of the story. Judge Spencer and Crawford are drawn to each other in an irresistible manner. Crawford is heroic in his actions and it seems as if there will be an easy transition to have Georgia moved to his custody.  Then there is a major discovery and the plot shifts.

Another killer is sought and authorities question any possible motives.

The plot is well written and both Crawford and Judge Spencer are characters who the reader can identify with and imagine consider what would happen if they were in a similar situation. The setting seems realistic but Some of the minor characters could have used more development but overall a good story with good chemistry between the major characters.

Don't get caught in the Cypress Trap

As I've been going through some medical procedures, I've been searching for a book to get my mind off health issues and burying myself (figuratively) in a good book.

In this well written gripping story, a wife and her husband are having a difficult time with their marriage. He is about to go on a fishing trip and she persuades him to allow her to accompany her.What she had been unaware of is that he had already asked to bring one of his buddies, so there is a threesome.

The story moves right along and something about the husband's past catches up with him.  The party is crashed by a group of murderous teenagers who claim that Owen, the husband, has something that belongs to them and they demand getting it back.

There is no help to be found and things get dicey fast.

Not to give away segments of the plot but just try to imagine a deserted Florida waterway where where an innocent group of fisherman are stalked with no one to ask for help.

The characters are well described and are sympathetic. They find themselves in a dire predicament where the reader could see themselves with a little imagination. The reader becomes engrossed and will find it difficult to put the book down.

Recommended.

There's a Tree in the Meadow

Strangers in the Night

"Taking Lives" by Michael Pye is a complex story of a serial killer who murders people and then assumes their identity.

The story begins slowly as Martin Arkenhout kills his first victim, finds it's an easy thing and gives him an appetite for murder..

John Costa is the story's narrator. He's a keeper at a museum and is searching for a Professor John Heart.concerning some missing papers.  By the time this portion of the story gets under way, John Heart has become Martin Arkenhout's victim and Arkenhout has taken over Hart's identity. Arkenhout has had a narrow escape  from one of his false identities and thinks that pretending to be a professor would be easy.

As a museum keeper, what was so important about why he was searching for Heart wasn't very well explained. I would have enjoyed knowing what was so important and why it was stolen. I've enjoyed the novels of Preston & Child and their descriptions of the goings on at the New York Museum of Natural Art.

The reader does get to know about John Costa while dealing with Costa's father's demise. The story takes the reader to many places and much is set in Portugal which is interesting.

Another point I was interested in is that the book has been made into a movie, starring Ethan Hawke; Angelina Jolie, Kiefer Sutherland and Gina Rowland. Imagining those stars acting out their roles in the movie added a fun element to my reading experience. I also feel that the victims of the killer could have been described more thoroughly so the reader might come to be interested or sympathetic to them.

There were times when I was reading the story and didn't know if the character was one of the serial killer's victim or the actual character.