Review of "The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection: A No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Novel" by Alexander McCall Smith

In this 13th book in the 'No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency' series, Mma Ramotswe gets to meet her role model Clovis Anderson, who wrote the 'bible' of private detection. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

To the joy of Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutski, Clovis Anderson - the revered author of their venerated guidebook "The Principles of Private Detection" - wanders into the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency when he's visiting Gabarone.



Meanwhile the detective agency is involved with a couple of crises: Mr. JLB Matekoni's apprentice Fanwell is arrested for inadvertently doing mechanical work on stolen cars; and Mma Potokwane - the director of the Orphan Farm - has her job threatened by a rich businessman Ditso Ditso. Ditso, a director of the orphanage, wants to build a large central kitchen/eating area for the children while Mma Potokwane favors "family" meals in the orphans' individual cabins.





To add to the problems Mma Makutsi and her husband Phuti Radiphuti are unhappy with the rude overweening contractor they've hired to build their dream home.



As always Mma Ramotswe is gentle, wise, and humorous as she goes about her business and Mma Makutski, who has talking shoes, is hilariously outspoken about her odd opinions.

Clovis Anderson's wise advice helps the detectives with their cases which turn out to involve the usual motives - dishonesty, greed, corruption, and cheating spouses. Even the usually lackadaisical Charlie, Fanwell's fellow apprentice, helps by cooking up a novel plan to assist his friend. This book is an excellent addition to the series with scenes that are laugh out loud funny. Highly recommended.

Rating: 5 stars

Review of "Judgment Call: A Sheriff Joanna Brady Mystery" by J.A. Jance

In this 15th book in the 'Sheriff Joanna Brady' series the law enforcement officer investigates the death of a high school principal. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

High School principal Debra Highsmith is gruesomely murdered and her body is discovered by Jenny Brady, daughter of Cochise County Sheriff Joanna Brady. Jenny does a big no-no - she takes a photo of the corpse and sends it to a friend - and before you can blink the picture's all over the internet, along with nasty comments. Seems Ms. Highsmith was not popular among the high school crowd and some students seem to be likely suspects for her murder.



However, while looking for next of kin Sheriff Brady discovers that Ms. Highsmith was a mysterious person with an unknown past, and the investigation widens. As usual, nosy, interfering reporter Marliss Shackleford is making trouble; this time she's illicitly using social media to get news tips she shouldn't have.



Meanwhile, Joanna's critical, difficult mother, Eleanor Lathrop Winfield, is involved with an art auction where another murder occurs.



Are the murders connected? Joanna and detective colleagues investigate the crimes and find the culprit, whose motive seems a little far-fetched but believable enough. (After all, there are a lot of nuts out there.)

In a side story, Sheriff Joanna Brady re-examines the death of her father, also a sheriff, many years before. What was thought to be an accident caused by a drunk driver may have been murder. To me, this tangential story seemed unnecessary and could have been left out. All in all an okay mystery book.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "The Heist: A Gabriel Allon Thriller" by Daniel Silva

In this 14th book in the 'Gabriel Allon' series the Israeli intelligence agent/art restorer investigates a wide-ranging art theft scheme. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Gabriel Allon - 5'8", slim and attractive.....with striking green eyes - is a man of many talents. He's one of the best art restorers (and forgers) in the world; a top-notch Israeli intelligence agent; a capable assassin; and a first class strategist/technician for covert operations.





As the book opens Allon and his second wife Chiara - who's expecting twins - are living in Venice, Italy where Allon is restoring artwork in a church. Allon's quiet life is disrupted when he' s approached by General Ferrari - head of the art recovery squad - who's determined to retrieve a Caravaggio painting (The Nativity) stolen decades ago. Ferrari believes Jack Bradshaw - a murdered British expat living in Lake Como - may have known the whereabouts of the Caravaggio. Thus, Ferrari coerces Allon to investigate Bradshaw's death - and hopefully find the masterpiece.


The Nativity

In the course of his inquiries Allon learns that unscrupulous bigwigs, including mafia dons and dictators, collect stolen art to use as a kind of currency. Moreover, one of the Middle East's most ruthless tyrants - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - is amassing a large collection of stolen art. Al-Assad views this as a kind of insurance, in case he's ousted and can't access his hidden billions.


Syrian President Bashar al-Assad

Allon hatches an elaborate scheme to part al-Assad with his fortune and to find the Caravaggio. The plan involves selling a forgery of Van Gogh's painting 'Sunflowers' (painted by Allon) to al-Assad's buyer and to hack al-Assad's secret accounts and steal the cash. For the hacking scheme Allon's team co-opts a woman named Jawal Nawaz - a Syrian-born, German citizen who works in a bank that al-Assad uses.


Sunflowers

Allon's plan requires lots of travel plus assistance from various 'series regulars' including Ari Shamron - former head of 'The Office' (the Israeli spy agency ); Eli Lavon - an ex-spy who's now an archaeologist; Uzi Navot - the current director of The Office; Navot's wife Bella - an expert on Syria and terrorists; and Christopher Keller - an assassin turned good guy (sort of). Several features of Allon's plan are completely unbelievable (for example, a banker keeps the only records of al-Assad's secret bank accounts in a notebook in his pocket).....but this is a novel after all. LOL

In the midst of all the action Allon visits his first wife Leah in a psychiatric hospital. Leah lost her sanity after being injured by a bomb that killed her (and Allon's) son Daniel. Leah's mind replays the bombing constantly, but she has occasional moments of clarity - and these scenes are disturbing and sad.

I won't say any more about the plot, except that Allon shows he's an honorable, stand-up guy.

Many reviewers remark that Daniel Silva's 'Gabriel Allon' stories are formulaic, and they are. But the books are well-written - with good plots and interesting characters. I'd highly recommend "The Heist " to fans of espionage thrillers.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "The Light Between Oceans: A Novel" by M.L. Stedman

Australian Tom Sherbourne, a World War I veteran, meets young Isabel in the town of Point Partaguese. Tom and Isabel soon marry and move to the isolated island of Janus Rock where Tom is the lighthouse keeper.



The lighthouse keeper and his family live alone on Janus Island, having sporadic contact with the mainland via supply boats and occasional shore leaves.





A few years later, while Isabel is in deep mourning after suffering three miscarriages, a small boat lights upon the shore of Janus Island. It contains a dead adult male and a tiny baby. Tom wants to report the incident, as required, but Isabel - having immediately fallen in love with the baby - convinces him to keep mum. So Tom buries the man's body and the couple proceed to raise the baby, who they call Lucy, as their own child.





A couple of years later Tom, Isabel, and Lucy vist Point Partaguese. Isabel's parents, who lost two sons in WWI, are thrilled with their new grandchild and make a great fuss of her, and Isabel is very happy.



During their visit to Point Partaguese, however, Tom and Isabel learn about the baby's parents. Hannah - a local resident - lost her husband Frank and infant Grace two years before when Frank, an Austrian persecuted by the locals, took Grace out on a boat and never returned. Hannah is almost insane from grief and is constantly searching for news about her missing family.



Tom, already uneasy about the subterfuge, tells Isabel that they must make a clean breast of everything. But Isabel, insisting that she's only concerned about Lucy's happiness and well-being, refuses. So the family returns to Janus Island, though there is now a small rift between Tom and his wife.



Events take their course and the lie is eventually exposed with difficult consequences for all concerned.

Stedman does a wonderful job with descriptions - and Point Partaguese, Janus Island, the ocean, the sky, the crashing waves, thundering lightning storms, rolling boat rides, people's homes and yards, are all brought vividly to life. The characters are also well-rounded, realistic, and compelling.

The story made me uncomfortable as stealing someone's beloved child is an awful thing and I couldn't sympathize with Isabel's bogus rationalizations. The book is probably a good choice for book clubs, with many issues to dissect and discuss. For me the book was just okay: well written but too slow-moving, with a troubling story line.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "The Wrong Side of Goodbye: A Harry Bosch Mystery" by Michael Connelly

In this 19th book in the 'Harry Bosch' series, the detective is investigating two cases: he's searching for a possible heir and looking for a serial killer. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

In this addition to the Harry Bosch series the detective has left the LAPD in difficult circumstances. He's now a private investigator and also works for the tiny San Fernando Police Department as a reservist (unpaid volunteer).



As the book opens Harry is hired by octogenarian billionaire Whitney Vance, who's frail and ill. Vance never married but thinks he may have fathered a child during a youthful affair with a Mexican girl.



Vance wants Harry to search for this offspring, who would be heir to the mogul's fortune. Vance warns Harry that the investigation has to be hush hush because the directors of Vance's company - who are looking forward to taking power themselves - would resent a legatee (to put it mildly).....and the heir's life might be in danger.

Harry uses his considerable resources and contacts, and soon makes progress with the case. Harry is sure Vance's people are monitoring him, so he's careful to take evasive measures.....but are they enough? At one point a holographic will shows up and Harry brings in his half-brother, attorney Mickey Haller, to provide legal assistance. The half-siblings pull off some sneaky moves, and it's fun to see them working together again.



Meanwhile, Harry is also working on a case for the San Fernando PD. Harry and his partner, Detective Bella Lourdes, are trying to nab the 'Screen Cutter' - a serial rapist who wears masks, doesn't use condoms, and targets Latina women. Harry has connected previous unsolved rapes with more recent Screen Cutter assaults, and discovers there's a pattern to the timing of the crimes.



Harry, always careful, keeps his Screen Cutter files in a locked drawer. When his papers are rearranged Harry is sure someone - maybe even the Captain of the SFPD - is secretly monitoring his investigation. But why?

While Harry works on the two inquiries a murder occurs in one case and a kidnapping in the other - which leads to a frantic police search. In between all the detective work Harry visits his daughter at college, takes her out to eat, and so on.....which provides a nice domestic touch to the story.

I enjoyed the book, though a couple of revelations at the climax seem rather unlikely. Still this is an engaging, well-written mystery, recommended to fans of the genre.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "The Ludwig Conspiracy: A Novel of Suspense" by Oliver Pötzsch

Just before he's brutally tortured and murdered an elderly gent hides a secret diary in an antiquarian used bookstore in Munich.



The bookstore is owned by Steven Lukas, a young man who just wants to lead a quiet life among his tomes. Before long the old gent's niece, Sara Lengfeld, shows up. She and Steven soon discover that the diary - which is written in code and has some undecipherable passages in an even more mysterious cipher - was written by Theodor Marot, mad King Ludwig II’s medical assistant.



King Ludwig was a well-known 'eccentric' who spent all of Bavaria's money building elaborate castles for himself before he died rather suddenly in 1886 - broke, bloated, toothless, and friendless. Was old King Ludwig murdered? Was he gay? Does the diary explain his sudden death? It seems a lot of people want to know.


Young King Ludwig


Deceased King Ludwig

Thus when Sara and Steve race out of Munich and rush hither and thither looking for clues to decipher the diary they're chased by a variety of cut-throats and gangs who want to grab the book for themselves.



As Steven and Sara decode the diary we learn a bit about King Ludwig's life as well as political machinations in 19th century Bavaria.


Old Bavaria

Though there are a couple of surprising twists, all the clue hunting and deciphering eventually lead to a reveal that's less spectacular than I'd hoped for. Still it's a pretty good thriller/mystery with a little bit of romance, some interesting characters, and some intriguing blather about secret codes.

Rating: 3.5 stars