Review of "Elysium Fire: A Prefect Dreyfus Emergency Novel" by Alastair Reynolds

The premise of this science fiction series is that humans have colonized thousands of different habitats in a region called the Glitter Band, and - to maintain democratic governance in these habitats - everybody 'votes' via a neural implant in their head.

A police force called the Panoply, with agents called prefects, maintain law and order in the Glitter Band.



Now, random people in the Glitter Band are dying from malfunctioning neural implants. The Panoply calls this phenomenon 'wildfire', and the prefects want to know what's going on.



When a suspicious death is detected, a prefect is immediately sent to retrieve the victim's head, which can then be questioned for information. (Some dead people live on in a sort of other dimension in this book.)



The main prefects in the series are Supreme Prefect Jane Aumonier (the big boss);



Senior Prefect Tom Dreyfus;



Field Prefect Thalia Ng;



and Prefect Sparver Bancal (a hyperpig).



At the beginning of the story, Field Prefect Thalia Ng is dispatched to scoop up a dead head, and this and other evidence reveals that the mysteriously dying people all seem to be risk takers of some kind, such as gamblers, fraudsters, or serial adulterers. The death rate is increasing day by day, and the prefects become VERY alarmed, and are determined to stop the carnage.



Meanwhile, a troublemaker called Devon Garlin is going around making speeches, encouraging habitats to 'secede' from the Glitter Band, and to reject the authority of the Panoply. Eight habitats have seceded so far and Garlin is gaining traction. Thus the prefects want to stop Garlin, preferably by arresting him and shutting him up.



The efforts of the Panoply to stop the escalating deaths, and to detain Garlin, are interspersed with a narrative involving two brothers named Julius and Caleb Voi. The boys live with their wealthy parents on a vast estate in Chasm City, but the siblings are isolated from the outside world.



Caleb and Julius have 'supernatural' abilities that allow them to create any kind of thing out of a substance called quickmatter. For example, the lads make themselves deadly crossbows and hunt holographic animals for fun. It's clear Julius and Caleb are being groomed for some higher calling, which is revealed little by little.





As the story progresses, the universal voting system is threatened; the baffling deaths keep escalating; and nasty chicanery is revealed. To keep the Glitter Band safe, Dreyfus, Ng, Bancal and other law enforcement officers must embark on dangerous missions that challenge their formidable abilities, even though they have cutting edge 'whip-hound' weapons.





I like this kind of science fiction and I found the story to be fast-moving and compelling. Recommended to fans of the genre.

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "The Sherlockian: A Novel" by Graham Moore

This dual-timeline mystery was inspired by real life events. When Sherlock Holmes' creator - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - died in 1930, some of his papers vanished. The missing items included letters, incomplete stories, and a volume of his diary - in which he was wont to record details of his life.


Example of a page from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's diary

'The Sherlockian' alternates between 2010 - when a Sherlock Holmes expert claims to have discovered the lost diary, and the late 1800s - when Arthur Conan Doyle got involved in a couple of real life mysteries.


Arthur Conan Doyle

*****

The book opens on January 5, 2010, when 29-year-old Harold White is attending his first meeting of 'The Baker Street Irregulars' - the world's preeminent organization devoted to the study of Sherlock Holmes.



Only the most worthy fans are allowed to join the Irregulars, and Harold is thrilled to have been accepted and excited to be at the society's four-day convention, being held at New York's Algonquin Hotel.


Sherlock Holmes Convention

What's most eventful about the Irregulars symposium is the announcement by long-time member Alex Cale that he found Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's missing diary. Cale is being cagy and mysterious, but promises to present the journal on January 6 - Sherlock Holmes birthday.



Unfortunately, Cale is murdered before he exhibits the diary, and it disappears once again.

Harold is present when Cale's body is discovered, and decides to investigate the crime like Sherlock Holmes would. So - before the police arrive - Harold quickly looks over the body, studies the carpet, examines the walls, and so on.



Harold discovers the word 'ELEMENTARY' scrawled on the wall in blood and deduces that the murderer must be a Sherlockian - a person familiar with the Sherlock Holmes canon. Moreover, Harold believes the killer is leaving a string of clues, which he'll follow to find the perpetrator AND the diary.

As it happens, an attractive journalist named Sarah Lindsay wants to write an article about the diary, and she decides to tag along with Harold.



Thus the pair are reminiscent of Holmes and Watson.....except that Harold fancies Sarah. 😍

Harold and Sarah aren't alone in their hunt for the journal. Other Holmes aficionados want to find it as well, as does Sebastian Conan Doyle - Arthur's great-grandson - who believes the diary rightfully belongs to him.



Sebastian offers to finance Harold's search for the journal, which takes Harold and Sarah from New York to England to the continent. The duo's lives are endangered by people following them, and there's plenty of angst and excitement.



Developments in 2010 alternate with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's activities in the 1890s, starting with his decision to 'kill off' Sherlock Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls.


Sherlock Holmes struggling with Professor Moriarity at the Reichenbach Falls

Fans were devastated and angry about Holmes' demise, and Conan Doyle was lambasted.....and even assailed in the streets.



Conan Doyle was also unpopular with progressive women because he was a vocal anti-suffragist and had a decidedly backward view of women's place in the world. Thus, when a letter bomb blew up Conan Doyle's office there were plenty of suspects.....from fans of Sherlock Holmes, to angry females, to terrorists protesting Arthur's military service during the Boer War.


Arthur Conan Doyle in his military uniform

Conan Doyle reported the bombing to Scotland Yard, but found the lead Inspector to be an ineffectual boob.



Thus the writer decided to investigate the bombing incident himself, with the help of his friend Bram Stoker.....who wasn't yet famous for creating Dracula.


Bram Stoker

During Conan Doyle and Stoker's search for the bomber they became aware that a serial killer was brutally murdering women in London. Once again Scotland Yard was sluggish and impotent, so the amateur sleuths decided to go after the serial murderer as well, using Sherlockian deductive reasoning.

As was Conan Doyle's habit, he faithfully recorded everything in his diary, including particulars of his detective work. And this is the volume of the journal that's missing!!

So what happened? You'll have to read the book to find out.

The story is an entertaining take off on Sherlock-mania, with the amateur detectives in both timelines 'doing what Sherlock Holmes would do.' In addition, Graham Moore's chapter headings - most of which are quotes form Sherlock Holmes stories - add an additional fun element to the novel.



I enjoyed the book and recommend it to fans of the legendary fictional detective.



Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "From a Far and Lovely Country: A No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Novel" by Alexander McCall Smith

In this 24th book in the 'No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency' series - set in Gaborone, Botswana - Mma Precious Ramotswe and her colleague Mma Grace Makutsi address a variety of concerns, including a shady nightclub, an American woman looking for family connections, and a red dress.



The book can be read as a standalone, but familiarity with the characters is a bonus.

*****



When Mma Ramotswe visits her old friend Mma Potokwane - the director of the Gabarone orphan farm - Mma Ramotswe hears a distressing tale from a housemother called Mma Ikobeng.



It seems that Mma Ikobeng's 30-year-old daughter Alice went to the Cool Singles Evening Club, hoping to meet an eligible bachelor. Alice met a man, but he turned out to be married, and Alice was heartbroken. Worse yet, it seems the nightclub PURPOSELY caters to married men looking to cheat on their wives.



The discovery incenses Mma Potokwane, who observes, "I think somebody should do something about this club....People just stand by and let this sort of thing happen. Well, I say we should fight back."



Mma Ramotswe agrees something should be done about the Cool Singles Evening Club, and knows she needs an undercover agent to investigate the nightspot.



So Mma Ramotswe entrusts the task to part-time apprentice detective Charlie, who was a 'player' before he got married. Charlie uncovers some pertinent information, and guided by Mma Makutsi, he makes a move. Unfortunately Charlie's action has unintended consequences.



Meanwhile, Mma Ramotswe is approached by an American woman called Julia Cotterell, who has a distant connection with a Botswana man named Khumo.



Khumo signed up with the Allies during World War II, and finally ended up in Europe, where he became acquainted with Julia's forebears. Now Julia would like to meet Khumo's family, and she asks for Mma Ramotswe's help.



Julia mentions that Khumo came from Mochudi, which is Mma Ramotswe's home town. This leads Mma Ramotswe to ponder: "Years had passed since she had left the village, but it was still her place, the spot to which she knew she could return at whatever stage of life she had reached, and belong. That was the definition of home." Mma Ramotswe and Julia visit Mochudi, and try to make a connection there.



Finally, a red dress meant to be a gift for Mma Ramotswe turns out to be problematic for the traditionally built woman.



In the end, everything is resolved satisfactorally, which is a perk of this uplifting series.

I always enjoy visiting with Mma Ramotswe and the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. It's great to see Mma Ramotswe solve problems in her unique and thoughtful fashion.



Thanks to Netgalley, Alexander McCall Smith, and Pantheon for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Trouble is What I Do: A Leonid McGill Thriller" by Walter Mosley

 

In this 6th book in the 'Leonid McGill' series, the private detective runs into trouble when he agrees to deliver a letter. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Leonid McGill is a 60-year-old black man who runs a detective agency in New York City. Leonid's employees are his capable secretary/receptionist Mardi and his son Twill.



Mardi quickly assesses visitors to the agency, and uses a simple code to convey her observations to Leonid over the intercom. For example, when Mardi announces a caller and asks, "Do they have an appointment?"...….it means they're cops; and when Mardi asks "Shall I bring them back?".....it means they're okay.



And Twill - who's Leonid's favorite child - is a clever young man who scams and schemes in his spare time.



In some ways, the apple didn't fall far from the tree because Leonid himself was a career criminal until he changed his ways. In fact, Leonid still has associates on the wrong side of the law, like his friend Hush, who lends a hand when the detective needs a tough guy on his side.



Leonid's newest client is 92-year-old Catfish Worry, an African American blues guitarist from Mississippi.



Many years ago Catfish was the summer gardener for a rich white family, and the musician got involved with the daughter of the house. The girl gave birth to a baby boy called Charles Sternman, and Catfish went home to his wife and children.

Before Catfish left though, his lover gave him a letter to give their future granddaughter before she married.



Catfish's biological son - Charles Sternman - looks white, has no idea he's biracial, and is a vicious racist. Now Charles' daughter Justine is about to wed, and Catfish came to New York to give her the letter.

Unwisely, Catfish approached Charles first, and told him they were blood kin. The horrified bigot threw Catfish out and forbid him to contact Justine under penalty of death.....and he means it!



Now Catfish has hired Leonid McGill to deliver the letter. This turns out to be a tricky business because Charles hired vicious goons to keep Catfish, or anyone associated with him, from approaching Justine. Leonid is a clever guy though, with friends in the right places......so the battle is on!!

The book is a thriller, with Leonid's team trying to outmaneuver Charles' hitmen.....who are trying to murder Catfish. This leads to threats, shootings, abductions, standoffs, and so on.



Leonid McGill is a compelling character with an interesting past; an intimate knowledge of New York City; an unreliable wife; three beloved children; helpful friends; deadly enemies; and a taste for aged moonshine. The story's other characters are also engaging, especially Catfish, who's a loving and empathetic man.

Walter Mosley has a deft hand with description, and brings the city and its inhabitants to vivid life. I enjoyed the book and recommend it to fans of thrillers.

Rating: 3.5 stars