Send In the Clowns by J. Gregory Smith

A Noble Cause was an improvement over Greg’s first book  Final Price as was Legacy of the Dragon over the previous novels.  I enjoyed all of them but this book was even better.   J. Gregory Smith is going to be a smashing success! 

Burly Paul Chang and his quirky sidekick Nelson are back.  This story is one of international terrorism, stalking and political intrigue.

Chang is still recovering from injuries from the previous story.   He is a complex character who is constantly battling his internal dragon.   Nelson’s character of the consummate nerd is equally likeable.  You find yourself seeing these two in people you know.  Greg does a great job with his characterizations. 

I found the story more colorful and delightfully complex with a cynical view of politicians and their overwhelming personal conceit.  Max as a villain was just about perfect.  The circus connection provided abundant color and sly humor. 

A good story, lots of action, likeable characters, what’s not to like?  Oh, and lest I forget, a terrific cover!  My only criticism of the book is that there should be a better back story.  New readers to the series may find themselves struggling a bit. 

J. Greg Smith is on track to be the next Lee Child.   Perhaps we could get Jack Reacher to meet Paul Chang, there would be some serious action in that meeting.   Greg, how about Unleash The Dragon?

I highly recommend this book!

Body of  work of <a type="amzn" > J. Gregory Price </a>

Web Site:  http://www.jgregorysmithbooks.com/bio-personal.html

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Legacy of the Dragon by J. Gregory Smith

A Noble Cause was an improvement over Greg’s first book Final Price . I enjoyed both but Noble was better. Now this third book really vaults J. Gregory Smith into the professional arena. Dragon is a page turner than truly establishes Greg as a contender!

Paul Chang, the huge Chinese American detective is back but in the private sector. He and his quirky partner Nelson are running a private detective business that is floundering. Chang’s old boss and the commander of the Delaware State Police are making his life miserable. Paul never intentionally went out of his way to harm them but that isn’t stopping them from persecuting him. This book details that persecution and an unrelated but dark and life changing event in Paul’s past.

Greg did a masterful job in truly giving Paul Chang full, three dimensional characterization. The back story is well done and having read Final Price, some pieces that were missing are now put into play.

The twin prongs of a diabolically clever plot intermesh enough to provide questions but not confusion. The characters, overall, are well written and colorful. Action in a Smith novel is a given and is in abundance here.

I highly recommend this book!

Body of work of J. Gregory Price

Web Site: http://www.jgregorysmithbooks.com/bio-personal.html

The Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer

A fast moving Intrigue set in Washington D.C. fraught with  treachery,  politics and unbridled loyalty.

Being overly fond of books I was delighted to see the major protagonist is an archivist in the National Archives.   Beecher White is not a man of action, more of a spectator than a participator in life when a female blast from his past, Clementine, storms into his life and turns it topsy turvey. 

The National Archives hold more than data, it holds secrets and those secrets prove deadly.    The characterizations are excellent and the personality quirks are believable and frustrating.   Political secrets are so believable because of all of the corruption and deceit we see in day to day real life in our elected officials.   The author’s premise is eminently believable.  

Meltzer did an excellent job and this book is right up there with Vince Flynn and David Baldacci, two of my favorite authors.  

I highly recommend the book.

Sword of God by Chris Kuzneski

Novels that read like current events are frequently frightening. This portrayal of an orchestrated mass murder to unite the diverse elements of Islam is very disturbing. The disturbing aspect is that it seemed eminently probable.

Jonathan Payne is larger than life and a good combination of Bruce Lee and John Wayne. His side kick D.J. Jones is a tad more believable. The novel does a nice job in the portrayal of feared elements both abroad and in our own government.

Sadly some of the behavior of those who wish this nation harm lead to an acceptance of deplorable means to stop them. This is a sobering look at terrorism and what it creates in both perpetrator and victim.

This is slam bang, thank you mum action and violence that is entertaining, easily read and digested but not for the faint of heart.

I recommend the book.

Body of work of Chris Kuzneski

Web site: http://www.chriskuzneski.com/

Hailey’s War by Jodi Compton

Hailey is a bike courier with a secret. She left West Point under unknown circumstances but what she learned there, keeps her alive through some harrowing circumstances. She truly believes in honor, respect and loyalty.

Hailey is an enigma in this story to both her friends and her enemies. She has a secret that she refuses to share. The author did a great job in maintaining mystery regarding that secret until the final conclusion.

There is artful misdirection in much of the book. Ms. Compton does a great job keeping you guessing. I admired Hailey’s tenacity and her willingness to face daunting odds.

The book holds your attention and educates you in regards to intercity gang behavior.

I recommend the book.

Body of work of Jodi Compton

Web Site: http://www.jodicompton.com/

Divine Justice by David Baldacci

The Camel Club is back! Back with a vengeance and the action is non-stop. Oliver Stone, on the run, finds himself unable to extradite himself out of other folks problems. His friends in the Camel Club pull through and back him up.

Once again, Baldacci ROCKS! In case you are not familiar with that accolade, David Baldacci is a story teller of tremendous magnitude who engages the imagination and enflames the passions while rending the heart with honesty, loyalty and steadfastness. Once again I was walking while reading, running into walls and reading while eating and other unmentionable activities. I couldn’t put the darn book down. John Carr is successfully portrayed as a razor sharp weapon combined with humility and all the noble characteristics. The plot doesn’t move, it charges! There are other characters in the book who develop long buried traits due to the example of Oliver Stone.

I recommend the book and am truly dismayed that it looks like the demise of the camel club.

Body of work of David Baldacci

Review:
Web Site:

Purged by Darkness by Michael Estepa Author

Life in a gang is depicted in an almost text book manner. The rise and subsequent disillusionment of a “boss” is depicted. Kai’s struggles with his self identity and his life goals smash against tradition’s harsh walls.

The book was hard to like. Estepa paints a sad portrait of young men pulled into a life by tradition and greed. The love and loyalty they have for each other and the disillusion with the life style provide a counterpoint to the casual acceptance of lethal violence as a business tool. Kai’s introspection and his eventual personal redemption by his own hand show the stark reality of how youthful indiscretion can lead to adult despair.

I recommend the book, it isn’t an easy read but it may provide better insight to the motivation of the young men who fill the ranks of gangs worldwide regardless of their society.

Body of work of Michael Estepa

Review

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The Course of Empire by Eric Flint & K.D. Wentworth

Eric Flint always writes a good story. I have read a lot of his work and have inevitably enjoyed them. My guess is the Machiavellian nature of this work may be traced to K. D. Wentworth, who I have not had the occasion to read. Earth is invaded by aliens and is conquered. The obvious reason turns out to be incorrect and the story line is not nearly as straight forward as it seems. The alien political infighting predominates the story and you are lulled into thinking mankind is merely window dressing for alien politics. It turns out that mankind may be outclassed in physical strength, equipment and technology but they still have a lot to teach. The book shows our obvious weaknesses and the often not obvious but there none the less ability of the human genotype to step above and beyond our normal behavior. I really enjoyed the story and highly recommend it. When I get back to real connectivity I am going to track down whether there is a sequel since the story truly demands one.


Body of work of Eric Flint
Body of work of K. D. Wentworth

Review: http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/product/B000VYCVZC


Web site:
http://www.ericflint.net/index.php/category/snippets/ http://www.kdwentworth.com/

March To The Stars by David Weber and John Ringo

At the risk of repeating myself, I love these guys. The story takes up from where “March to the Sea” left off. The embattled marines end up involved in another localized war. The natives they initially help turn out to be the bad guys and they have to shift allegiances to get to the starport which is their goal. The starport is their only hope to get off the planet and get home. The discovery that all is not well at home puts added pressure to get where their going. The authors don’t hesitate to inject a reality check in their work. War has casualties, even characters we really, really like. You know it is only a story but yet you grieve for the loss of life. I, admittedly, really get into these books and have difficulty getting anything else done while reading them. There is one more in the series and I plan on starting it immediately. I would suggest buying all four at the same time because you are going to want to read them back to back, at least I did.

Body of work of David Weber
Body of work of John Ringo


Review: http://www.webscription.net/p-266-march-to-the-stars.aspx

Web Site http://www.davidweber.net/
David Weber’s web site is under construction.

Web Site: http://www.johnringo.com/

March To the Sea by David Weber and John Ringo

A sequel to “March Up Country”, this book is as entertaining as it’s predecessor. Prince Roger as the main character is continuing to mature. Wading through the blood of his friends, foes and assorted wild life has given him a different perspective that his pampered life in the palace. Working with civilized natives combating barbarism seems to be the only way the force can continue to their goal of reaching the star port. The marines need to reserve, at least, a portion of their technological superiority for a final confrontation with their modern foes at the star port. This reservation requires them to implement a minor industrial revolution and introduce, to the marines eyes, antique weapons to the locals. The same antiques are a marvel of technology to the industrially challenged natives. Battling through seemingly limitless barbarians, Prince Roger develops into a “true” prince and leader. Again a book I couldn’t put down, Ringo and Weber truly tell a great story.

Body of work of David Weber
Body of work of John Ringo

Review: http://en.risingshadow.net/index.php?option=com_library&Itemid=67&action=book&book_id=7229


Web Site http://www.davidweber.net/
David Weber’s web site is under construction.

Web Site: http://www.johnringo.com/

Wizard for Hire by Jim Butcher

This is an omnibus which includes Storm Front, Fool Moon and Grave Peril.
Harry Dresden is a wizard for hire, thus the title. As the only wizard listed in Chicago’s yellow pages, Harry gets a lot of crank calls. The stories evolve around a somewhat inept wizard with a good heart and a Don Quito complex. Harry never seems to accurately calculate the odds and therefore ends up in deep doodoo with great frequency. His relationships with authorities, both mundane in the Police Department and arcane in the White Council are consistently strained. I am fond of the entire genre of the hard boiled detective with a heart of gold and I delight in the exploits of wizardry. I enjoyed all three books and will be seeking out more from the same author.

Body of work of Jim Butcher

Review: http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/004275.html

Web Site: http://www.jim-butcher.com/

March Up Country by David Weber and John Ringo

Weber and Ringo are unbeatable in my book. I haven’t read anything by either guy that I didn’t like. This story is set far in the future in the Empire of Man. The empire is fraught with peril but the Empress has two competent children and a simpering, incompetent, bastard, youngest son. Centered around the incompetent Prince, the story basically shows the development of his character. His bodyguard, the Bronze Barberians, are an elite marine force of the Empress Own Guard. Their duty is onerous at best and worse is dealing with the unpleasant Prince. The marooning of the Prince and his bodyguards on a supposedly friendly planet leads to his personal growth and the demise of many of his new friends. I couldn’t put this down, get it!

Body of work of David Weber
Body of work of John Ringo


Review: http://www.webscription.net/p-267-march-upcountry.aspx

Web Site http://www.davidweber.net/
David Weber’s web site is under construction.

Web Site: http://www.johnringo.com/

The Peshawar Lancers By S. M. Stirling

Stirling has proposed a post meteoroid holocaust world with the holocaust set in the late 1800’s. The world has recovered to the point of early 1900’s and the novel deals with the political ramifications of the dramtically changed world. Characters are well done, story is exciting, I had trouble putting it down. My biggest critisim is that there is no sequel. This book screams for a sequal, what’s the point of getting you into a very interesting environment, enticing you with good characterizations and then leaving you hang. Stirling’s characters exhibit the characteristics that I think exemplify scifi and fantasy, courage, loyalty, nobility, concern for mankind, all things that are often hard to find in current fiction as well as in the real world. Read this!

Body of work of S.M. Stirling

Review: http://donh.best.vwh.net/Esperanto/Literaturo/Recenzoj/peshawar.html

Web Site: http://www.smstirling.com/