Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, & technology book reviews, plus social, political, & economic commentary
Rod Davis’s New Addition to his ‘Jack Prine’ Private Investigator Series Offers Plenty of Action, Gunplay, and Southern Geography Labels can be attached to this new novel, the second book in Rod Davis’s “Jack Prine” private investigator series. For example, you might call it “Southern noir” or perhaps “grit lit.” Whatever. I call it “good … Continue reading East of Texas, West of Hell
Bleeding Kansas Dave Eisenstark (World Castle Publishing, LLC – paperback, Kindle) It is very tempting to say: “This book is a lot like Huckleberry Finn, but on land, with lots of horses and guns!” However, amid the humor, the horrors and the main character’s many dangerous, coming-of-age adventures, readers also get close, unnerving looks … Continue reading BLEEDING KANSAS: Coming-of-age adventure and danger on the American frontier just before the Civil War – #fiction #bookreview
The Life We Bury Allen Eskens (Seventh Street – paperback, Kindle) Minnesota writer Allen Eskens’ first novel is tense, engrossing and fast-paced reading–an excellent debut. College student Joe Talbert has been given a seemingly simple writing assignment for an English class: Go interview and write a brief biography of a stranger. True to college life, … Continue reading The Life We Bury – A tense, engrossing and fast-paced debut novel – #bookreview
Raiders of the Nile A Novel of the Ancient World Steven Saylor (Minotaur Books – hardcover , Kindle ) Best-selling author Steven Saylor is well-known for his many books, including his Roma Sub Rosa series of historical mysteries set in ancient Rome, starring Gordianus the Finder, a B.C. equivalent of Sherlock Holmes. Now, in Raiders of … Continue reading Raiders of the Nile – Steven Saylor brings fast-paced action & intrigue to ancient Egypt – #fiction #bookreview
The Seven Wonders: A Novel of the Ancient World Steven Saylor (Minotaur Books, hardback, list price $25.99; Kindle edition, $12.99) To be honest, until I picked up this book, I had paid zero attention to best-selling author Steven Saylor’s long-running Roma Sub Rosa series of mysteries set in ancient times, in the Roman Empire. The hero … Continue reading Steven Saylor’s ‘The Seven Wonders’ – A fine intro to Gordianus the Finder, famous sleuth of ancient Rome – #bookreview #in #mystery #fiction
Droid X2: The Missing Manual By Preston Gralla (O’Reilly, paperback, list price $19.99; Kindle edition, list price $9.99) Got, getting or giving a Droid X2 smartphone? Consider adding this useful how-to manual to the mix. Droid X2: The Missing Manual bills itself as “The book that should have been in the box.” But it’s likely much bigger … Continue reading Droid X2: The Missing Manual – #droid #bookreview
Treasure Hunter By W.C. Jameson (Seven Oaks Publishing, paperback, list price $14.95; Kindle, $2.99) We’ve all had the great fantasy. We turn over a spade of dirt while doing some yard work and suddenly uncover Spanish doubloons or a rich cache of 19th-century silver dollars or some long-lost loot buried by a famous outlaw. W.C. … Continue reading Treasure Hunter by W.C. Jameson – A memoir that’s a treasure itself – #nonfiction #bookreview
Captain John R. Hughes: Lone Star Ranger Chuck Parsons (University of North Texas Press, $29.95) John R. Hughes is often considered one of the Texas Rangers’ “Four Great Captains,” alongside William Jesse McDonald, James A. Brooks and John H. Rogers. (Chuck Norris, as Walker, Texas Ranger, figures nowhere in this equation.) Before Hughes became a Ranger … Continue reading Captain John R. Hughes: Lone Star Ranger
Neptune’s Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal By James D. Hornfischer (Bantam Books, $30.00) Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/giTclq Kindle Link: http://amzn.to/fKzayj Guadalcanal typically is remembered as a small Pacific island where U.S. Marines stayed locked in savage combat for months with tenacious, desperate Japanese defenders during World War II. U.S. Army troops, however, also fought heroically … Continue reading Neptune’s Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal
Corsair By Clive Cussler with Jack Du Brul (Putnam, $27.95, hardback) Some fans of Jack Du Brul’s writing think his name should be listed first on the cover of Corsair, a new installment in the popular Oregon Files series. But, regardless of who actually wrote what within this 437-page action-thriller, the team of Cussler and … Continue reading Fast-Paced Action: By Sea, by Land and by Air
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