October's Books

In Jeanne Dam's latest mystery, The Corpse of St. James, ex-pat Dorothy Martin, retired schoolteacher, and her husband, retired chief constable Alan Nesbitt, attend a ceremony at Buckingham Palace honoring one of Alan's proteges, Jonathan Quinn, who is to receive the George Cross. While walking in the park across the street from the palace, they discover the body of a young woman. Although Quinn tells the police he does not recognize the girl, he later confesses to Dorothy and Alan that she is the granddaughter of an old family friend. Discovering the girl's murderer brings the trio into the world of those who are employed at the Palace--guards, tour guides, art curators, and even the man who tends the Queen's Corgis. Readers who enjoy a good British mystery will happily savor this one.

Cleveland Moon Handbook by Douglas Trattner
Death Benefit by Robin Cook
Cozy by Parnell Hall
The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny
A Fatal Winter by G.M. Malliet
Goldberg Variations by Susan Isaacs
Making Money by Terry Pratchett
Fatally Frosted by Jessica Beck
Glazed Murder by Jessica Beck
The Corpse of St. James by Jeanne Dams
Woolvs in the Sitee by Margaret Wild
The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree by Susan Wittig Albert

The Codex

The codex by Douglas Preston

Preston, one half of the team responsible for the Agent Pendergast series, goes solo on this science based thriller.  The Codex to which the title refers is a Mayan artifact containing knowledge about the medicinal properties of rain forest plants.  It was hidden in the rain forest by eccentric adventurer Maxwell Broadbent, and Max left instructions for this three adult sons to follow.  Very Indiana Jones—there is an evil villain, a beautiful scientist, and lots of jungle adventure.

What's So Funny?

What’s so funny?  By Donald Westlake

 

Retired cop Johnny Eppick believes that John Dortmunder is the finest thief not already in jail.  So he blackmails him into stealing a jewel encrusted chess set that was intended for Russia’s last czar.  Dortmunder judges the job to be impossible, but with the help of the regulars at O.J.’s Bar and Grill, a plan is hatched.  Lots of laughs—think “Ocean’s Eleven” with a paunchier bunch of thieves.

Blackwater and Erik Prince

Blackwater:  the rise of the world’s most powerful mercenary army by Jeremy Scahill 

 

 

Blackwater, the private security company owned by Erik Prince, Catholic arch-conservative, is a powerful player in the war in Iraq. For every one member of the U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq, there is one mercenary.  They get paid enormous salaries, which are billed to U.S. taxpayers.  Not only do they operate abroad, they also received huge contracts after Hurricane Katrina.  Consider a quote from Rep. Jan Schakowsky, “Blackwater has enough power and influence with the administration it could be a force stronger than NATO.”  A chilling look at the conservative former military and political figures that are influential with the current administration.

September's Books

"Lie Down in Green Pastures" is a mystery by Debbie Viguie. It's the third book in a series. Cindy Preston is a church secretary; Jeremiah Silverman is a Reformed rabbi at the synagogue next door. When Jeremiah's Mustang is hit by a car, he sees that the driver of the other vehicle was already dead at the wheel. The driver was a former member of Cindy's church. Cindy thinks there was more than an accident, and she presses the police to investigate.
     Jeremiah is talked into accompanying a group of teenage campers on an interfaith camping trip. When flooding and sinister forces threaten the campers, the skills Jeremiah learned in the Israeli army help to save the kids. There's a hint of a possible romantic relationship on the horizon for Cindy and Jeremiah--maybe in the next book.
Packing for Mars: the curious science of life in the void by Mary Roach
Purgatory Chasm by Steve Ulfelder
The Four Last Things by Timothy Hallinan
Dead Angler by Victoria Houston
Grifter's Game by Lawrence Block
Indian Sign by Les Roberts
Prisoner's Base by Rex Stout
Lie Down in Green Pastures by Debbie Viguie
Chomp by Carl Hiaasen
More Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives by Guy Fieri
The Wurst is Yet to Come by Mary Daheim
Full Cleveland by Les Roberts
The Other Woman by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Death Benefit by Robin Cook

Spam...Spam...Spam...Spam

Book of spam:  a most glorious and definitive compendium of the world’s favorite canned meat by Dan Armstrong

 

A tribute to the luncheon meat that sells nearly 80 millions pounds each year, “The book of Spam” is full of the history, trivia, advertising art, and recipes that will make Spam lovers salivate.  How about some Spam upside-down pie or a baked bean Spamwich?  Yummm.

A Mac A Day

 22,477 Big Macs by Donald Gorske

            Obsessive-compulsive prison guard has eaten Big Macs every day since the 1970s.  He records where and when he ate them.  He also tracks ball games he has visited, who went with him race tracks, how much overtime he works, and other details, such as sites of famous crimes.  It was a lot more interesting than I would have thought.