The Intern's Handbook

There is a lot to love about Shane Kuhn’s debut novel, The Intern’s Handbook. The concept itself first and foremost. John Lago, age twenty five,  is a professional hitman employed by HR, Inc. about to embark on his last assignment before retirement. Because at HR, Inc., all employed assassins do their jobs under the brilliant cover of nameless, faceless interns.

Whether out of a sense of responsibility, nostalgia, or maybe even ego, Lago has written this handbook to pass on to the up and coming assassins - always orphans, always those who grew up abandoned and unloved - who will follow in his legendary footsteps, sharing tips and tricks of the trade for those who want to live to see the mandatory retirement age of twenty five.

Kuhn gives his protagonist a wicked sense of gallows humor and enough of a dysfunctional childhood to justify his sociopathic career path. John Lago is may be a killer, but he’s a killer with a heart. The humor and fast plot pace and twists should have been enough to make this novel a winner on all levels. Yet it still fell short and this is why:

John Lago’s self-deprecating humor is what hooks the reader from the very first chapter. Confiding that the assassin’s life is nothing like Hollywood portrays it to be is a large part of Lago’s charm and character. So when the author then places Lago in scenes that are exactly like Hollywood portrays them, both the character and the story loses authenticity. The novel then becomes just another shoot ‘em up, beat ‘em up, blow ‘em up, testosterone filled blood bath. Which is a shame given the potential of the first few chapters.

The upshot? It’s a library checkout for a few good laughs and an author worth keeping an eye on as he hones his craft.

Title: The Intern’s Handbook

Author: Shane Kuhn

Date: April 8, 2014

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 288

Source: Advance Reading Copy

A Burnable Book

Holsinger's debut novel, A Burnable Book, hits bookstores everywhere today and this is one book that merits close attention. A literary thriller that forces the reader to pay close attention and hang on for the ride, A Burnable Book takes us to Chaucer's London - 1385 - where a heretical book has gone missing and everyone from the highest nobility to the lowest prostitute wants to find it, albeit for different reasons.

John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and Uncle to King Richard II

Narrated by John Gower, a close friend of Chaucer and notable English poet himself, the importance of the missing book is gradually revealed throughout the novel. From the treason-tainted halls of John of Gaunt and his infamous mistress Katherine Swynford waft the seeds of rebellion against the newly-crowned English King Richard II, where the missing book could provide information that could elevate Gaunt to the crown or destroy him forever. 

Chaucer

Poet Geoffrey Chaucer has his own reasons for desperately seeking the missing book but discerning those reasons is more difficult than navigating the back streets of 14th century London. Whatever his reasons, he is willing to manipulate anyone and everyone - risking lifelong friendships in the process - in order to get his hands on the missing book.

The book proves even more elusive when it accidentally falls into the hands of a common street prostitute - one smart enough to know what she has is valuable, even if she isn't entirely sure why. The chase is on.....and people are about to find out that their life is cheaper than a book.

The end result is a helluva ride through medieval London, thanks to Holsinger's intense knowledge of the period - he is a medievalist professor at the University of Virginia's English Department - which results the most fun a reader can have while receiving a history lesson. Nothing about this novel is spoon-fed; keep up or drop out of the game. But I can confirm that it is worth your while to keep up - this is one of the best historical thrillers I have yet to read. Smart, fast-paced, and requiring reader intelligence....a little slice of heaven right here. Highly recommended.

Title: A Burnable Book

Author: Bruce Holsinger

Publisher: William Morrow

Date: February 18, 2014

Pages: 464

Source: Publisher 

Worthy Brown's Daughter

Behold the historical legal thriller. Author Phillip Margolin, popular for his contemporary legal thrillers, has written a new novel and this one, while featuring all the legal twists and turns his work is so famous for, features something new: it is set in the 19th-century.

Margolin actually began writing this novel over twenty years ago while still a practicing attorney in the 1980s. While performing legal research, he stumbled across an old historical case from the 1800s, Holmes v. Ford, in which a man brought a family of slaves with him when he moved to Pacific Northwest promising them he would free them after he established his farm in Oregon, a state that while prohibiting slavery was also quite hostile towards blacks at the time. But Mr. Holmes didn't entirely keep his promise and only freed a portion of his family of slaves, keeping some of the children, one of whom died under his dubious care.  If the family wanted their remaining children back, they needed a lawyer and a damned good one. And he needed to be white. 

Historical tidbits like these create great novels and that is just what Margolin did with Worthy Brown's Daughter. He fictionalizes this riveting case, but includes so many real characters - including the only United States Supreme Court Justice to be arrested for murder while sitting on the bench - that it reads like a taut true-crime book. Perhaps most disturbing is the sharp reminder of our own country's path towards civil rights, most of which we associate with the Southern states and rarely give a thought to its evolution in the West.

For those accustomed to Margolin's thrillers, there are plenty of good guys and bad guys to go around. And our brilliant attorney who comes to the aid of the dispossessed ex-slaves is, of course, utterly brilliant. Do the good guys win? Well, as with anything to do with slavery and civil rights, the answer is somewhat murky. You can win a battle, but that doesn't mean you've won the war. Nevertheless, Margolin's novel is inspiring and a rollicking good read.

Title: Worthy Brown's Daughter

Author: Phillip Margolin

Publisher: Harper

Date: January 21, 2014

Pages: 352

Source: Publisher

RIP: Shutter Island

Title:  Shutter Island
Author:  Dennis Lehane
Publisher:  Harper Collins
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Narrator:  Tom Stechschulte
ASIN:  B001NJ5XM2
Length:  9 hours, 38 minutes
Source:  Personal Copy
Grade: A






A Reader's Respite came close to missing this gem of a thriller.  Why?  Because some idiots out in Hollywood decided that Dennis Lehane's novels make good movies (well, based on Mystic River, they're probably right).  But while we didn't see Shutter Island on film, we did see the movie trailer, which presented the tale as a scary, scary horror-type movie.  A Reader's Respite was just turned off, Leo or no.

Is it just us, or does he still look like he's 12 years old?  (a 12 year old with a beard, that is)

So now it's time to set the record straight:  Shutter Island is NOT a horror story in any way, shape or form.  It is, however, a fabulously executed thriller that gets the old heart pumping.

The time?  The 1950s.

The place?  Shutter Island, a small government island in Boston Harbor.

The set-up?  Two U.S. Marshals are sent out to Shutter Island - where the government runs an asylum for the criminally insane - to investigate the disappearance of a female patient.  Not all is what it seems to be at Shutter Island and things go very much bump-in-the-night as the two marshals get caught up in a creepy mystery and a hurricane descends upon the Eastern Seaboard, effectively cutting off Shutter Island from the rest of the world.

Sandy recommended this on audio and she was spot on, as usual.  Our narrator is pitch-perfect and Dennis Lehane hits another one out of the ballpark.

Highly, highly recommended!

A Reader's Respite Creep-O-Meter:

Literary Smackdown

That's right folks, it's Literary Smackdown time.  No holds barred, it's book versus book and only the strongest survive.

Did you know that Dolph Lundgren (Russian dude) speaks 5 languages and has a Master's degree in chemical engineering?  It's true. 

A couple of months back, after reading Justin Cronin's much-hyped epic The Passage, A Reader's Respite couldn't help but notice all of the comparisons readers everywhere were making between this novel and Stephen King's legendary epic, The Stand.

The problem for us was that A Reader's Respite had never actually read King's masterpiece.  (Pelt us with tomatoes if you must, but it's true.  He scared us after the clown-thing in It and we never read a word he wrote again....but you can read about that here.).

As it turned out, we were in good company.  Both Jill (A Rhapsody in Books) and Ti (Book Chatter) had either a) never read the book, or b) read it long enough ago that it had been lost to the brain-chasm that eats up minor book details like, say, the plot.

So it was that we formed The Fellowship of The Stand.  (Okay, so it was really just a discussion thread on GoodReads, but we're going for the dramatic here, so back off.)  We chose the uncut version which basically just means that it included every random thought King has ever had and that his original editor wisely left on the cutting room floor.  1141 pages.  Yet we persevered.  We triumphed.  Around the halfway point, Jen thought we all needed our own t-shirt:

The verdict?  The similarities between The Passage and The Stand were indeed remarkable.  Both novels feature a post-apocalyptic world that is the result of a government medical experiment gone bad.  Both focus on the few groups that survive.  And both use the setting of Las Vegas for some very, very bad juju going down.

But really, that's where the similarities end.  The Passage is a thriller and adventure story.  The protagonists seek to survive and avoid the so-called virals trying to make a meal of them.  Who are the "bad guys"?  Anyone infected with the virus....former friends, family members, or co-workers.  The virus is non-discriminatory.  The thrill of the story (the first in a planned trilogy, by the way) is how the non-infected survive.  Very tense.  Very page-turn-inducing.

The Stand, however, features over-arching themes that go far beyond a storyline of basic survival.  King's missive places survivors into one of two camps:  you're either a "good guy," drawn to gather with other good guys in Boulder, Colorado or you're a "bad guy," heading off to join the evil cadre who have settled in Las Vegas and plot to destroy all other survivors.  The reader immediately knows that these groups represent something.  But what? 

Religion?  Human nature? It's possible.  The leaders of each group of survivors are specifically aligned with God and Satan, respectively.  We found it fascinating that members of each group didn't migrate from one group to the other.  They were immediately and firmly entrenched as either a "good guy" or a "bad guy."  King's exploration of each character's background prior to the Apocalypse was key.  But is a person born with good or badness within them or are they the product of their environment? 

Simply put, King's novel is an epic saga about good versus evil, the choices mankind makes, and what that says about our intrinsic character.

So ends The Fellowship of the Stand and the only question that remains is: who wins the Smackdown?

A Reader's Respite read these novels a mere three months ago.  Today, we could give you a bare-bones plot sketch of The Passage.  But we could discuss with you for hours the meaning of the themes buried within The Stand.  We think King delivered a knock-out punch.

Post Script:  Don't miss out on Rhapsody in Books Weblog and Book Chatter's thoughts!

Is it safe to come out?

A Reader's Respite has been in hiding for the past week or so.  With Book Blogger Appreciation Week inundating blog-world, we thought we'd do you the huge favor of not contributing to your over-flowing feed reader this past week.  So go ahead and appreciate that.  You're welcome.  (Do we get an award for that?)

It appears that a good time was had by all and since that is the entire purpose of BBAW, we can safely declare 2010 a success.  Congratulations to all the winners this year!

And if you subject yourself to the random and bitchy musings left on Facebook by A Reader's Respite, you'll know that there was another compelling reason for our absence.....

Yes, we decided to allow a mad scientist the opportunity to shoot laser beams directly into our eyeballs just for kicks and giggles.

Okay, so it wasn't a scientist, it was really a board-certified opthamologist and he wasn't really mad (just a tad cranky).  And it wasn't just any old laser beams, it was LASIK surgery.  And he transformed our vision from this:

into this:

Technically speaking, the mad opthamologist gave us 20/15 vision, but we won't quibble over details.  Anyhoo, we have needed this past week to recuperate from having our eyeballs lasered into.  Recovery has included no television (not a problem), no computer usage (tad bit of a problem), and no reading.  (GASP!)

So how did we spend our time (besides cheating on the computer thing here and there....shhh, don't tell my mad doctor)?

Audiobooks.  We knew we'd have to download about a bazillion of them in order to make it through.  We remembered a recommendation written a couple of weeks ago by Reader for Life which extolled the virtues of Danish author Christian Moerk's novel, Darling Jim, and this was #1 on our list.

Audiobooks are really, if the truth be known, two reviews rolled into one.  At one end of the spectrum is a review of the actual content of the book itself....plot, characterization, dialogue, etc.  At the other end is a review of the presentation, or the narrator. 

A Reader's Respite has always found it amusing that while a good novel cannot recover from a bad narrator, a bad novel can certainly be redeemed by a good narrator.  Darling Jim is blessed with both a good story with good narration. Two narrators, actually. 

Stephen Hoye, a prolific audiobook narrator whose credits include Flags of Our Fathers and The Book of Air and Shadows reads the main of the story here, in which an Irish postal worker accidentally discovers the diary of a notorious murderess who was later herself murdered under horrific circumstances.

Stephen Hoye, winner of 13 Earphones Awards and 2 Audie Awards

The narrator chosen to read the discovered diaries - for more are discovered throughout the novel - was Justine Eyre, who has lent her lilting voice to The Historian and most recently to Dracula, My Love.  Eyre won an Earphones Award (her second!) for her performance in Darling Jim.

Justine Eyre

A Reader's Respite thought Eyre's voice one of the most beautiful, enchanting ever piped over the airwaves, making us feel as if we were sitting in a small pub in Ireland, listening to a local tell us the story.  Hoye's narration was a tad more dramatic (you can go here to listen to a sample of his narration in Darling Jim), with a tendency to draw out the last syllable of each sentence, but compelling nonetheless. 

All nuances of narration aside, author Moerk is simply a damned good story teller.  This tale of gothic suspense, set in a small Irish town, requires the reader to suspend disbelief, as do all good yarns.  And an old-fashioned story is what this is, keeping you on the edge of your seat just dying (no pun intended) to find out what happens next. 

If you're looking for a good creepy gothic-ish tale complete with a handsome, dastardly stranger who mysteriously appears in town only to insidiously destroy an entire family, all wrapped up with a special twist, you'll likely enjoy reading (or listening) to Darling Jim this Halloween.


Title:  Darling Jim
Author:  Christian Moerk
Narrators:  Stephen Hoye and Justine Eyre
Unabridged Audiobook, 10 hours 31 Minutes
ISBN:  978-1400111985
Source:  Purchased from Audible
Grade:  A

The Reincarnationist Series Continues.....

Title:  The Hypnotist
Author:  M.J. Rose
Genre:  Thriller
416 pages
ISBN: 978-0778326755
Source:  Meryl L. Moss Media Relations
Grade:  B-



It should come as no surprise that author M.J. Rose is continuing her Reincarnationist series based on the success of her previous books.  In this third novel several recurring characters pop up again, including FBI agent Lucian Glass (of the Art Crime Team) who continues to chase after uber-bad-guy Malachi Samuels. 

This time, Malachi will stop at nothing to get his hands on an ancient list of Memory Tools which he thinks are hidden in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  What in the hell are Memory Tools, ask those of you who haven't read one of M.J. Rose's novels?  Allegedly, they are keys to unlocking our past lives......hence the previous two books in this series:

Rose's books have garnered quite a following and it's easy to understand why....they are fast-paced with both thriller and historical elements.  For those of you who believe in reincarnation (and let's face it, there are anywhere between 300-500 million practicing Buddhists in the world today....that's roughly 6% of the world population) there is the added bonus of exploring the concepts of past-lives. 

Even if you're not a reincarnation afficiando, Rose's novels are compelling thrillers.  This third book of the series claims to be a stand-alone, but we wouldn't recommend it as there are simply too many recurring characters and too much carry-over of plot to really enjoy the novel by itself.

Publishers Whore-ly calls The Hypnotist a "stunning page-turner."  Since we all know by now exactly what A Reader's Respite thinks of that publication, we'll ask you to take their words with a grain of salt.  Enjoyable?  You betcha.  Entertaining?  Yes.  But a stunning page-turner?  We wouldn't go that far.

the cast of Past Life....they're kinda creeping me out here....

All in all, it's an enjoyable series of books and a good beach-type-read.  And we aren't the only ones to think so....Fox Television has turned the books into a television series called Past Life, which debuted in February of this year.  M.J. Rose has deservedly hit the big time and we are genuinely pleased for her.  And fans of the novels will be pleased to learn that Rose is writing a fourth book.....the series will continue.

Tana French just keeps getting better....

Title: Faithful Place
Author:  Tana French
Genre:  Suspense
ISBN:  978-0670021871
416 pages
Source:  Amazon Purchase
Grade:  A+


If A Reader's Respite had to name one author who just keeps improving and improving with each book, it would have to be Tana French.  And her newest release, Faithful Place, just proves our claim.  Once again, French takes us to Dublin where undercover cop Frank Mackey finds himself drawn back to his childhood neighborhood (and slightly insane family) to solve the murder of his first teenage love, whose body has just been discovered after she went missing twenty-two years prior.

And once again, French shows the reader that it isn't the mystery that's important....it's the psychological characterizations that make the tale.  Without a doubt, this is her best effort to date.


Her first novel, In the Woods, debuted in 2007 to critical acclaim (it won an Edgar Award that year).  Reviews of the novel from readers weren't as impressive as the critics, though.  Many readers didn't care for the ambiguous ending of the suspense novel about the Dublin Murder Squad, although most would agree that French's writing was almost magical.  Her lyrical writing, sharp and witty dialog, and intense characterizations put the reader smack in the middle of Dublin, making her one of those rare authors who could transport a reader out of time and place.

In 2008 French followed up with The Likeness, another novel about the Dublin Murder Squad, this time focusing on a secondary character who appeared in the first novel.  This time, French nailed it.  A stunning ending wrapped up a novel with near-perfect psychological insight and again, she places the reader right in the time and place she created.

Unlike The Likeness, which almost required the reader to have been familiar with her first novel, Faithful Place requires no such previous reading.  Although Frank Mackey does appear as a secondary character in The Likeness, no other information from that book is needed to get full enjoyment out of Faithful Place.  Mackey is masterfully drawn...just the right amount of cynacism one needs from an undercover agent, mixed with irreverance for the rules and a good dose smart-ass.

A Reader's Respite might be just a little bit in love with Frank Mackey.

The mystery of who killed Rosie is not paramount, so don't expect a big twist at the end.  What's important here are the psychological foundations of relationships....relationships with family, with lovers, and with our children.  French is at the top of her game here.

If you haven't read a Tana French novel yet, it comes with our highest recommendation.  Don't feel like you have to go back to the beginning, though.....just pick up a copy of Faithful Place and savor it. 

Then come back here and join the Frank Mackey fan club.

Crime in Scandinavia

Like many Americans, A Reader's Respite has been completely enthralled with now-deceased author Steig Larsson's Millennium Series.  We first read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo on a trip to Brussels last summer and immediately became obsessed with protagonist Lisbeth Salander.  A perfect combination of mystery, thriller and family-saga, Larsson brought this little known sub-genre of Scandinavian crime novels to the forefront of world attention.

We are furiously gobbling up the second book in the series, The Girl Who Played With Fire in anticipation for the third (and final) book of the series, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, due for publication in the U.S. on May 25th.  (And yes, A Reader's Respite has this one on pre-order already!)  


If you haven't read the series, we highly recommend it even if you aren't normally a fan of the genre.


But Steig Larsson isn't the only Scandinavian mystery/crime writer with a big reputation.  On a recent 24-hour stay in Fargo, North Dakota, A Reader's Respite discovered that this sub-genre is chock-full of talented authors and riveting novels.  The bookstore we visited, as a matter of fact, had entire shelves dedicated to these books -- not surprising, given that the local population is largely of Scandinavian descent.


Among some of the gems we discovered (and consequently crammed in our suitcase and toted home):

This international political crime/thriller from Danish author Leif Davidsen features a middle-aged Danish college professor who gets caught up in international intrigue when his sister is accused of being a Stasi agent in Copenhagen.  Davidsen's novels often feature protagonists who are anonymous, every-day citizens who get caught up in international events beyond their control.  While not all of his novels are available translated into English, a good handful are and this talented writer is certainly worth a read.

Norwegian author Karin Fossum tends to write on a more local Scandinavian scale and her most successful books are the Inspector Sejer series.   Her novel Don't Look Back is the second in the series and it concerns a missing child from a small Scandinavian village and the improbable circumstances surrounding the child's murder that occurs in a small community where everyone knows everyone else.  Fossum began her career as a poet, but it's her crime/thriller novels that have won her numerous literary awards.

Swedish author Asa Larsson (no relation to Steig....it's a fairly common Scandinavian surname) writes a fabulous police-procedural-crime-thriller series featuring protagonist Rebecka Martinsson, a tax attorney who gets drawn into local crime cases.  Sun Storm (originally published in the UK under the title The Savage Alter) is the first in the series and introduces the reader to Martinsson, whose past is intertwined with a murder investigation and leads her down some unexpected and taut paths filled with intrigue and mystery.  It won the Swedish award for Best First Crime Novel and is well worth a read....translator Marlaine Delargy has been especially singled out for praise for her translation of this novel into English.


There are numerous other, talented Scandinavian crime writers out there....more and more of whom are being translated into English for us language-challenged readers.  Take advantage of it and enjoy some of them.  A Reader's Respite will definitely be picking up more new-to-us Scandinavian authors on our next trip to our favorite Fargo bookstore (which, coincidentally, will be next month!).

A Pair O' Irish Thrillers

Have you read Irish author Tana French's books yet? If you haven't, A Reader's Respite is telling you that you really should.

Her first novel, entitled In the Woods, has actually been out and about for a few years now and was the recipient of the 2007 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. And what a fabulous novel it was:  French introduced us to Dublin detectives Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox, unlikely (yet most likable) partners who must dig deep into the past to solve a creepy modern day murder.

French's talent lies in characterization and dialog.  Told from Detective Rob Ryan's point of view, Rob and Cassie leap off the pages with ease and it feels as if their world has come to life.  Sophisticated dialog and tantalizing glimpses into each detective's past make it seem as if French has been doing this her whole life, rather than debuting with this novel.  She writes with a fluidity that indicates maturity far beyond her years.

As the murder mystery deepens it becomes apparent that Detective Ryan's past is intricately entwined with the current case and the stakes are raised until the reader simply can not put the book down.  Truly, we didn't shower for two days in order to finish this book.

Now here's where it gets interesting because A Reader's Respite is just going to flat out tell you the truth of the matter:

The ending just plain sucks.

Really, it's true.  Questions are left unanswered, loose ends aren't tied up properly, and the reader is left wondering, "What the hell?".

So why on earth are we telling you to read a book whose ending stinks?  Because the rest of the book simply excels above all other thrillers on the market.  This book, believe it or not, is worth reading despite the ending, pure and simple.

The Likeness is French's follow-up novel, and it takes the interesting twist of picking up Rob and Cassie's story where In the Woods left off, only this time from Cassie's point of view.  A new case pops up and this time, it's Cassie who must deal with demons from her past as she goes deep undercover at a local University.

With this novel you can literally see for yourself French's honing of her craft.  Her strengths (again, characterization and dialog) become stronger and her weakness (plot) improves dramatically.  She deftly weaves an intricate mystery that, once again, keeps the reader glued to the pages and this time she doesn't make the same mistake with the ending.

This book, of the two, will not leave you disappointed in the ending.  And yet A Reader's Respite cannot, in good conscious, recommend that you read only this second novel as a stand alone.  You must read the both of them in order to experience the joy of seeing a talented writer mature and progress until the end result is almost magical.

If you appreciate the craft of writing and enjoy seeing a master of it at work, do yourself a favor and pick up both of these novels.  It really is a thing of beauty.






FTC Disclaimer:

Hey Mr. FTC-Man....cash out of pocket, baby, cash out of pocket.  Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Back with a vengeance....

It's about darned time that A Reader's Respite got back to the business of reviewing books around here. Enough of this slacking off.

We thought we come back with a bang and give you the low-down on Dan Brown's big sequel to The DaVinci Code (love it or hate it, it was a popular book and we mused a bit about it here), this one titled The Lost Symbol.



Did it live up to all the hype? Well, yes and no. The DaVinci Code was a best seller because, fact or fiction, readers liked all the secrets and revelations contained in the plot. Naturally, if Dan Brown wanted to replicate his original success, it was necessary for The Lost Symbol to use the same formula.

This time, instead of focusing on the Catholic Church and Mary Magdalene, Brown chose to direct his energies towards the Freemasons, a veritable treasure trove of symbolism, myth and conspiracy theories.

This is the Freemason's symbol, for all the uneducated masses out there. You'll also find this symbol on all of our currency, hidden inside your passport, and even imprinted on the front door of the White House. Sheesh, you didn't know that?

And because so many Freemason symbols are to be found lurking around our nation's capitol, Washington D.C. is the setting this time.

If running around Washington D.C. looking for an ancient treasure rings a vague bell in the back of your mind, you're not alone. We couldn't help but envision Nicholas Cage in National Treasure throughout the book.

Perhaps Ben Gates and Robert Langdon could join forces in the next installment to rid D.C. of all evil (politicians, that is).

Any-hoo, if you liked The DaVinci Code, you may enjoy this read as well. But beware that much of the novelty of protagonist Robert Langdon's revelations have worn off. Instead of riveting you to the page, this time around you may feel a bit tired of the lecturing Harvard professor.

But despite pages of formulaic plot and dialogue, we found a few choice spots of brilliance. We'll leave you with one of them:

From the Crusades, to the Inquisition, to American politics - the name Jesus had been hijacked as an ally in all kinds of power struggles. Since the beginning of time, the ignorant had always screamed the loudest, herding the unsuspecting masses and forcing them to do their bidding. They defended their worldly desires by citing Scripture they did not understand. They celebrated their intolerance as proof of their convictions. Now, after all these years, mankind had finally managed to utterly erode everything that had once been so beautiful about Jesus.

The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown

You're looking for the giveaway for this one, aren't you? A Reader's Respite would glady give away our copy of this one were it not ensconsed on our Amazonian Devil Device (ie, Kindle). But alas, we haven't figured out a way to seperate the novel from the device yet.

Genre Niches and A Reader's Respite's Obsession

Now we know what you're thinking: what in the hell are genre-niches? A Reader's Respite fully admits to making that term up right here on the spot (we're just creative that way). It was the only term we could think of used to describe a very topic-specific book within a genre.

Are there any specific genre-niches that you all like?

For example, we know of a dedicated reader who is absolutely obsessed with any cozy mystery novel that involves a cat. That's right, it must involve a cat. Not a dog, not a horse, not even a cute pig. Only cats.

cat detective noir

Another dear friend loves novels (any novel) that contain recipes. Themes, characters, settings all mean nothing to her. If it's fiction and there's a recipe in it, she owns it. We suspect if a porn novel involving chefs (and a recipe is printed) exists, we would find it on her shelves.

somehow, we don't think we'll be seeing her on Iron Chef anytime soon

If you're suspecting that A Reader's Respite also has an obsession with a certain genre-niche, you'd be absolutely correct. We happen to have a weakness for politically-oriented thrillers set in Africa.

You see, we're fairly specific about it. Not any novel randomly set in Africa will do. (No Alexander McCall Smith for us, thankyouverymuch.) No, the novel must revolve around the political chaos that has devastated so many countries on the Dark Continent in the post-colonial world. Ever see the film Blood Diamond? Now you're getting the picture.

The not-so-great part about an obsession with a specific genre-niche is that there aren't too many books out there that fit the bill. Even less that are well-written, too. When you find one, you tend to savor it, wanting to relish every last drop of the story. At least that was what is was like for us when we recently sat down for a marathon reading session of The Secret Keeper.

Journalist-now-author Paul Harris has penned a real winner with his debut novel, The Secret Keeper. Set in Sierra Leone four years following the civil war that ultimately would claim over 50,000 lives, the story revolves around journalist Danny Kellerman. The war over, Danny is safely ensconced in London when he receives a startling letter begging for help from an ex-girlfriend, Maria, still living in Sierra Leone.

But before Danny can even figure out the meaning of the letter, Maria is found dead. Returning to Sierra Leone to find answers and battle his own demons, Danny finds himself caught up in politcal intrigue and mystery in a country still struggling to find it's place in the world.

Given Harris' past reporting as a war-correspondent in Sierra Leone, one can't help but wonder how many autobiographical tidbits made their way into the story. His ability to recreate the political climate during this time of upheaval is unrivaled in our reading experience.

This plot is absolutely fine-tuned and taut with multi-dimensional characters and a very well-painted picture of Sierra Leone. It really doesn't get much better than this, folks. Much more accessible (and believable) than Tom Clancy, if you're inclined towards thrillers, especially ones that teach you a few things along the way, The Secret Keeper will not disappoint.

This one will most assuredly be making an appearance on our Ten Best List at the end of the year.



Title: The Secret Keeper
Author: Paul Harris
ISBN-13: 978-0525951025
336 pages
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Date: April 2, 2009


We know, you're thorough. So we've provided some more reviews of this book for you:

Book Addiction
Jen's Book Thoughts
Bloody Hell, It's a Book Barrage!
The Bookworm
Presenting Lenore
My Friend Amy
Maw Books Blog
Dreadlock Girl Reads
Savvy Verse & Wit
Peeking Between the Pages

Review: Let the Shadows Fall Behind You

Let the Shadows Fall Behind You, by Kathy-Diane Leveille



A Reader's Respite would like you to note the cover of Kathy-Diane Leveille's newest thriller. What do you see? More importantly, what do you NOT see?

That's right, my friends. Not a headless woman nor a obnoxious blurb to be found. Not on the front, not on the back, nowhere.

Needless to say, this garnered Let the Shadows Fall Behind You a bunch of extra bonus points before we even opened the book.

So when the rest of this character-driven thriller turned out to be fabulous, we knew we found a winner. Let the Shadows Fall Behind You is a taut psychological thriller with more than enough mystery and rich characterization to keep us mesmerized.

A short synopsis? Well in this case, the author provides are a far more interesting one than A Reader's Respite could awkwardly peck out on the keyboard:

On a grey morning in Northern Ontario in 1978, when the first fat snowflakes drifted down erasing all the familiar landmarks, Nikolai Mirsky headed out the door of the haunted cabin he shared with his lover, Brannagh Maloney. And disappeared…

Brannagh, a Natural Science Illustrator, struggled to collate the data from their bird count through the long winter. By the time the icicles began to melt, she was filled with a growing dread that the infamous wilderness preservationist wasn’t returning.

When Brannagh left New Brunswick, ten years ago, she swore it was for good. But now her best friend, Annie, won’t stop worrying about her, and won’t stop hounding her to come back for a reunion of their childhood all-girls club The Tuatha-de-Dannans. Brannagh finally relents, but she refuses to go to her childhood home and face her irascible Grandfather. Instead, she hides out at her Grandmother’s summer cottage, even though it is far too close to the woods where her mother was murdered. As Brannagh struggles to put to rest the questions surrounding Nikki’s disappearance, she finds it impossible to ignore the family secrets circling the most tragic disappearance of all. Brannagh learns that nothing magical will ever change her past, but the fierce love of friends holds the power to transform the future.

Now, if you happened to catch the author's guest post, you'll remember Kathy saying that this novel was actually rejected by publishers due to the multiple time lines that flit around in the book. Our verdict? It works. It really, really works. No confusion here whatsoever since the protagonist Brannagh appears in each time period. Think of each frame as a piece of the puzzle and as the taut plotline crescendos, each frame gets shorter and tenser, drawing the reader in until putting the book down seems an impossible task.

Now recall that we mentioned this is a character-driven thriller...you won't find shoot 'em up, car-chase, exploding buildings here, folks. It is the characters themselves and the secrets they keep that provides more than enough action.

This is a highly recommended novel and A Reader's Respite isn't the only one who thinks so: Let the Shadows Fall Behind You made Booklist's Top Ten Crime Books list.


Now yesterday, we mentioned a giveaway with a twist. Yes, A Reader's Respite is going to give a copy of this novel to a random winner. But the winner must agree to read, review and hold their own giveaway of this copy of Let the Shadows Fall Behind You.

So if you have a blog, that's great. If you don't have a blog, that's okay, too - just submit your review to A Reader's Respite and we'll provide the venue for your review and giveaway. All you have to do is mail the book to the new winner.

So leave a comment if you'd like a chance to read and review this fantastic new novel. International entrants are encouraged, as always! Our random drawing will be held on Wednesday, May 27th, so get your entries in!


Title: Let the Shadows Fall Behind You
Author: Kathy-Diane Leveille
ISBN-13: 978-1601641670
288 pages
Publisher: Kunati Inc.
Date: April 1, 2009


More Reviews:

Booking Mama
The Thrill Begins
Cheryl's Book Nook

Review: Winter in Madrid

Winter in Madrid, by C.J. Sansom

The Down and Dirty

Settle in with a nice cup of coffee and allow A Reader’s Respite to tell you about a book.

A fabulous book. Really and truly.

In 1936 Spain, as World War II was gearing up, a military uprising led by General Franco sprang up against a leftist government and the Spanish Civil War began. Unable to obtain help from any other country, the leftist government turned to the Stalin who was all too happy to export his particular brand of “assistance.”

And so it was that the Spanish people found themselves in the crossfire between two of the most undesireable factions fighting for control of their country: facists or communists.

The breadth of the destruction of Spain both during the Civil War and the years following the dictator Franco’s rule over Spain cannot be overstated.

And this is the riveting time period that C.J. Sansom brings to life in his novel, Winter in Madrid.

Harry Brett finds himself at a bit of a loss whenout of the army on a medical discharge after the British retreat from the advancing Germans at Dunkirk. Recruited by British Intelligence, whose goal is to keep Spain from entering WWII on the side of the Axis powers, Harry heads off to Madrid to spy on an old school chum, Sandy Forsyth, who may or may not be supporting Franco’s fascist regime.

But Sandy isn’t Harry’s only connection to Madrid. Bernie Piper, another old schoolmate who dropped out of school to join the International Brigades, died there fighting the fascists during the Civil War.

Except Bernie didn’t die. And Sandy isn’t who he appears to be.

The Lit Crit

Not much to say here, as this novel was nearly as perfect as a novel can be. From a historical perspective, Sansom’s research is a wonder and more importantly, his ability to translate his research into a seamless story is nothing short of amazing.

The Spanish Civil War was a politically convoluted mess. Yet Sansom never loses the reader. It is impossible not to feel incredibly illuminated about a period in history often glossed over.

The plot is perfectly paced, eventually reaching a conclusion that reflects the ambiguity of the time, and the characters are some of the most fully developed ever seen in a historical novel of this scope.

The Recommendation

For any historical buff, A Reader’s Respite is not just recommending Winter in Madrid to you, we’re telling you that you MUST read this book.

If you’re looking for an even more comprehensive education about Spain’s Civil War and their role in WWII, couple this novel with Dave Boling’s award-winning novel, Guernica, a review of which you can read here tomorrow.

Title: Winter in Madrid
Author: C.J. Sansom
ISBN-13: 978-0143115137
544 pages
Publisher: Penguin
Date: January 27, 2009 (pbk.)


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