“Classic,” – a book which people praise, and don’t read.

-Mark Twain

 

NOVEL BLONDES FEBRUARY BOOK REVIEWS

 

 

Betrayal

by Tim Tigner,  ebook, political thriller, pub date Sept 7, 2013

Let’s just say I’ll never look at coffee creamer the same after reading this book. FBI Special Agent Odysseus Carr (Odi) is a man on a mission. His unit was set up for an ambush in the Mideast while carrying out a failed attack on what was thought to be a terrorist camp. Bad Intel provided by an inside source led to the death over several of Carr’s men, and was meant to include him as well. Odi launches his own investigation and the trail leads back to the states.

Meanwhile his twin sister Cassandra has her own problems. FBI behavioral psychiatrists aren’t supposed to be in love with top officials in the FBI, let alone pregnant by said boss. Could this FBI senior official and potential presidential candidate be in cahoots with “the bad guys?” It’s up to Odi and his sister to find out before a wealthy triumvirate of businessmen use fear and chaos in the Middle East to drive the election results.

 

 

The Lost Girls of Paris

by Pam Jenoff, ebook, historical fiction, pub date Jan 29, 2019

I was excited to receive this advance reader copy from NetGalley, particularly due to the amount of positive buzz this book has already generated. World War ll historical fiction is extremely popular right now, and female protagonists seem to be leading the way.

The Lost Girls of Paris, features three female leads with ties to the war. The story begins with Grace Healey discovering a valise abandoned in Grand Central Station. Her actions are questionable and odd. She opens the case, rifles through the contents, and removes an envelope containing photographs. These photographs lead to the core of the story, identifying the girls pictured and solving the mystery of their circumstances. Grace, a war widow, finds herself working with her deceased husband’s college friend to track down information on a secret British SOE training program.

 

The Girls

Eleanor Trigg led the program, after being chosen by her boss to coordinate recruiting young women to train as spies toward the end of the war. These operatives will be used in France to counter the German occupation. We come to know these girls during their training and subsequent deployment. Featured is Marie, who was recruited mainly for her fluency in French. She is mother to a small daughter, with whom she can be reunited at the end of the war, providing her motivation to serve in this capacity.

The story moves along quickly, bouncing between Grace and her investigation and the training and intrigue the girls in the photographs experience. In the field, Marie meets a fellow operative and falls in love, while in the current time frame Grace is exploring a relationship with her new beau, while uncovering the stories of the “lost” girls of Paris.

Overall there were several coincidences that were a stretch to believe, as well as the unnecessary introduction of love interests. The story told by Pam Jenoff is entertaining and does serve to introduce a group of WWII heroes that might not have otherwise received widespread recognition. A narrative nonfiction telling of the daring efforts of these young women would have served them all so well.

 

 

 

 

 

Ernest Hemingway: Artifacts from a Life

by Michael Katakis, nonfiction, ebook and hard cover, Oct 23, 2018

Michael Katakis has gifted readers with an intimate, intriguing glimpse into the life of one of America’s most recognized writers. In his book Ernest Hemingway: Artifacts From a Life, the readers is granted access to photos, letters, post cards, and lists the writer collected or saved throughout his life. These items are now part of the Ernest Hemingway Collection housed at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, and not easily accessible to the average Hemingway aficionado. These personal pieces of Hemingway’s life provide insights, but leave so many questions as well. Who are these people in the photos? What were their connections to Hemingway? The book has a scrapbook layout, and creates almost a voyeuristic air, letting us peel back the curtain, but wanting more details.

Hemingway’s narcissistic, poor husband material self is on display here, but so also is his devotion to his sons. Raconteur, braggart, lover, fighter, son, father, husband. Whichever you most identify Hemingway as, there’s no denying the pull of his personality and larger than life presence. This photographic exploration of Hemingway is a fascinating piece of work, covering a man who must have been a real piece of work himself.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy, for which I provided my honest review. I appreciated the ebook version so much, I purchased the hard cover. While I enjoy ebooks, the scrapbook format was more enjoyable in the physical book form.

 

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine

by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite, ebook, young adult lit, Sept 3, 2019

A big thank you to NetGalley for this advance reader copy. Note, this book debuts September 2019, so I’m thankful for the chance to read it early.

First, writing a novel must be spectacular challenge, I’ll grant any author that. But writing one with your sister? Spectacular times 10! The Moulite sisters succeeded spectacularly with this exceptional debut novel. Main character Alaine Beauparlant, is “sentenced” to a visit to Haiti after a school presentation goes terribly awry. Both her mother and father, now divorced, are originally from Haiti, and she still has family there.  It might be perceived as punishment, but Alaine is not unhappy with the prospect. She’s actually looking forward to spending time with her mother, a famous reporter who is dealing with her own problems. Other benefits for Alaine include working with her super motivated aunt on a nonprofit initiative, getting to know the island, and spending time with cousins. There is even a handsome young intern at the nonprofit who seems pretty interested.

Complications ensue in the form of theft, illness, a boating disaster and of course a voodoo spell in need of breaking! But don’t worry, spunky heroine Alaine makes the most of this summer of learning and loving opportunities.

 

Once again, a good month of reading. Betrayal was not a genre I particularly visit much, so the change of pace was refreshing. Nevertheless, it’s back to narrative nonfiction and historical fiction I go!

 

Other books by these authors: