Officially, winter comes in tomorrow but I'm pretty sure, temperature-wise, that it's been here for a couple of weeks. The only good thing to come out of this season - besides Christmas, of course - is that the nights are longer so there's more time to cover up in bed and read. Here are some suggestions for you.
Series
Boca Knights - Steven M. Forman ($7.99/$.50, copyright 2009, 331 pages, Paperback)
This is Forman's first novel and the start of a new series. Our hero, Eddie Perlmutter, is a 60-year old,
retired Boston cop who suffers with arthritis so his friends convince him to move to Florida for the
warmth. He settles in to the resort life in Boca Raton taking a job at one of the local golf courses. That doesn't work out but he stumbles upon a Russian counterfeiting ring and that changes everything. Soon he's got a P. I. License and he gets involved in a murder and with some tough skin-head types. It's funny at times, crass at times, but it's always interesting and it has a great ending. I enjoyed it.
Year Of The Tiger - Jack Higgins ($6.99/$.50, copyright 1996, 259 pages, Paperback)
I've posted about several of Higgins' works that I've come across before and liked. Several of them have been centered on Paul Chevasse, a member of England's "secret" service. This is another one and revolves around his rescue of an important scientist being held as a prisoner by the Chinese in Tibet. I'm a fan of Higgins and he's put in plenty of action and intrigue but this one is very similar to the one where Chevasse rescued the Dalai Lama which I read recently. It was OK.
Non-fiction
History's Last Stand - Gerard and Patricia Del Re ($10.00/$1.00, copyright 1993, 210 pages, Trade Paperback)
Every once in a while, I pick up a non-fiction book because there's something about it that grabs me. This one has thumb-nail entries of how some of history's empires ended; how some Presidents and Rulers left office (or died); how some famous people met infamous ends; and other interesting endings. Some of these I knew and others I didn't. I have to say it was a bit pedantic and I was hoping for some more of the "famous last words" kind of thing. It was OK.
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much - Allison Hoover Bartlett ($15.00/$.50, copyright 2009, 256 pages, Trade Paperback)
Bartlett has gone to great lengths to present the story of Ken Sanders, a book store owner and self-
appointed book thief catcher and his most infamous catch -John Gilkey. It's an interesting story, and Bartlett tells it from both sides - having interviewed both of the principles. You get to feel Sanders' passion to catch the thief but, somehow, she's not able to explain Gilkey's desire. I've been a bookie for years and I can understand - on a certain level - why he would covet a particular book but Bartlett doesn't offer any insight as to why he does it. It was OK.
So, Merry Christmas .... Happy New Year .... and
Keep reading.
