Gilbert M. Stack's Blog, page 16

Happy Valentine's Day: The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochson

The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon

I picked up this book because of the teaser in the blurb. Three women discover that they are all dating the same man and their breakup with him is filmed and goes viral on social media. It’s an excellent scenario and Rochon handles it with skill and flair. I was pulled in immediately and even though she didn’t maintain that high level of excitement for the rest of the novel, her basic plot kept my interest. There are two major points of action occurring. Samiah is trying to navigate a critical moment in her career while managing a new romance and dealing with a backstabbing colleague, while her new romantic interest is secretly pursuing an undercover investigation into money laundering at her firm. Naturally, as a romance novel, the part about romantic interest gets the most attention, and Rochon easily succeeds in showing the growing attraction between her couple. Unfortunately, I thought the romantic interest functioned more as a subplot, complicating Samiah’s new career and her boyfriend’s investigation, and it was the investigation that really kept most of my interest. (By the way, give Rochon extra credit here. I settled on a culprit very early and I was absolutely wrong.)

 

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Rochon builds solid and interesting characters and gave me enough details on both Samiah’s job and her boyfriend’s investigation that I totally bought into both of them. She also provided a fun and flirty romance that developed despite hesitations on the part of both Samiah and her love interest. Perhaps the nicest part of the book, however, was the friendship that the three women at the start of the story forged with each other after learning they were all dating the same man—and that friendship was ultimately the best part of the story.

 

The History of Ancient Rome by Garrett G. Fagan

The History of Ancient Rome by Garrett G. Fagan

I read a lot of history and so when I read a massive survey like this Great Courses book, I look for how the events are framed and whether or not the author gives me some new insight into the material. I very much enjoyed how Fagan did both of these things.

 

By far the strongest part of the book is his coverage of the generations long revolution that transformed Rome from a Republic into what is effectively a monarchical empire. Fagan expertly shows how each major player starting with the Grachus brothers made small but important changes to the ways in which the Republic’s government functioned that ultimately combined to fracture the Republic and return it to a monarchy in all but name. Many of these changes were not technically illegal—they were contrary to tradition—and they “justified” ever bigger breaches of tradition (under the excuse of preserving that very same tradition) by the opposition. It is difficult not to see parallels to the United States where, as in Rome, politicians make adjustments to the way things are traditionally done to advance their short-term interests and then seem shocked when their opponents do the same. The ultimate result for Rome was the loss of their Republic.

 

Fagan’s discussion of the Empire is much more general as he looks at longer term trends. If you want an emperor-by-emperor account, this part of the book is not for you. But if you want to look at major themes, it’s a very helpful overview. Any way you look at it, this is a wonderful survey of Rome.

 

 

Too Many Clients by Rex Stout

Too Many Clients by Rex Stout

Rex Stout certainly knows how to catch a reader’s interest. This time Archie Goodwin is asked by a man to shadow him to find out who has been tailing him—except that the man who hires him is not the man he says he is. That man is already dead. And that’s how Stout starts a case in which Wolfe is desperate to find a client who can pay him to solve a mystery that has captured his interest. It’s fascinating from start to finish—and I’m pleased that I identified the probable culprit early in the story. But like Wolfe, I had to wait to find out why that person would have committed murder.

 

The Egyptian Cross Mystery by Ellery Queen

The Egyptian Cross Mystery by Ellery Queen

Here’s another great mystery in the Ellery Queen series. A man in West Virginia is brutally murdered in a most bizarre way and Ellery is quite understandably drawn to the case. A few months later, history repeats itself—this time on Long Island. The mystery is fascinating as Queen tries to track down a rather mobile villain.

 

The key to the crime is in the very first murder. I hooked to it at first, but it’s sometimes hard to hold on to facts as more and more clues (and red herrings) are presented to you. As always, Queen makes it all make sense in the end.

 

D6 by Robert Bevan

D6 by Robert Bevan

Bevan’s first collection of short stories in his Caverns and Creatures series is a lot of fun both for anyone who has enjoyed the series thus far and for anyone who likes roleplaying games in general. I don’t think you need to have read the series to enjoy these tales. They take the form of fairly classic D&D style adventures. None of them are particularly memorable, and yet each was a lot of fun as I listened to it. If you like roleplaying games, I think you’ll like these too.

 

Crimson Steel Blades by Gilbert M. Stack

There is only one more week to get Crimson Steel Blades at a 66% discount.

 

Young Willem has survived battles and assassination attempts, but his claim to his father’s lordship will not be secure until his formal Oathtaking at a ceremony attended by the Great Lords of the duchy. For those who still hope to push him aside, time is getting perilously short. Yet those who have already acted against him are not as dangerous as the great men who are coming; and those who wish him ill have so many ways to dispose of one irritating young man. Be it through the joust, the duel, or even open rebellion, Willem’s Oathtaking is going to be marred by Crimson Steel Blades.

 

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Affliction by Laurell K. Hamilton

Affliction by Laurell K. Hamilton

I’ve been rereading the Anita Blake series and didn’t remember this book. That’s surprising because plots usually stick with me and this one had a pretty good one. The father of one of Anita’s lovers has been bitten by a flesh-eating zombie and has caught a rotting illness from the creature. This is bizarre for a lot of reasons, but they can all be summed up with the statement that it doesn’t look like a flesh-eating zombie was actually responsible for the attack—even though there are witnesses.

 

So, Hamilton has given Anita a problem that feels like one she could have encountered in the first books of the series when the novels were at their best. She sprinkles in the habitual police problems—they’re jealous of Anita’s supernatural body count but don’t like her because she’s a woman and she sleeps with monsters. It was a bit overdone, but totally expected in these books. Instead of endlessly worrying about her relationships with her score of lovers, all of that energy went into worrying about her lover’s messed up relationship with his extended family. This is something that Hamilton does pretty well, although I didn’t feel like there was enough resolution of these troubles as the supernatural threat came to dominate the story.

 

Overall, this book was a welcome return to the elements I like most about this series and as always, I’m hoping Hamilton will continue to emphasize these elements in future books.

 

The Tournament of Supervillainy by C.T. Phipps

The Tournament of Supervillainy by C.T. Phipps

Phipps takes a sidestep away from satirizing the superhero genre to poke some fun at fight games (and movies) like Street Fighter. Champions from across the multiverse are gathered to fight it out to see who is top dog with the prize being ultimate power. Unfortunately, this didn’t work as well for me as the other books did. I never really felt like Gary was in this power league. Gary is great for a one liner and he often thinks of very clever things to do, but this came down to a raw power match and that really isn’t Merciless—except that somehow he keeps finding the raw power to win.

 

The best part of this story is actually the introduction into this series of Jane Doe from Phipps other series that starts with I Was a Teenage Weredeer. I absolutely love that series and it was nice to see her again. Write some more Bright Falls Mysteries Mr. Phipps.

 

A Death in Belmont by Sebastian Junger

A Death in Belmont by Sebastian Junger

I’ve enjoyed Junger’s books A Perfect Storm and Fire. This one was good too, but not on the level of A Perfect Storm. The premise of the account is that the Boston Strangler might have been responsible for a Belmont murder for which an African American named Roy Smith was convicted without convincing evidence. The reason Junger knows this, the Strangler was a couple of blocks away on the day of the murder working on an addition to Junger’s parents’ house. It’s an interesting story and an opportunity to look at race and the legal system in America.

 

The Missing Chapter by Robert Goldsborough

The Missing Chapter by Robert Goldsborough

This time Goldsborough enmeshes Wolfe in the world of publishing when he’s asked to prove that an unpopular writer didn’t commit suicide. I’ll bet this was a fun book for Goldsborough to write as he plays with a world that he must know very well—even poking some fun at himself along the way.

 

The mystery is solid and the reason for the crime touched my heart. The victim is no saint and while no one deserves to be murdered, I certainly wish the jury would have gone easy on this killer.