April 24, 2013

“Murder on Astor Place” by Victoria Thompson – The Midwife Sleuth

In Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson, we are introduced to a midwife by the name of Sarah Brandt, who has, with time, become estranged with her rich and powerful family. However, one day she is forced to reconnect with them as a young girl, Alicia VanDamm, is murdered in Sarah’s boarding house.

As it turns out, Alicia’s family is also quite prominent, and her next of kin do not want an investigation for fear of some kind of scandal. It seems, for a while at least, that Sarah is the only one who wants justice for Alicia, but soon after being taken off the case, Sergeant Frank Malloy asks for Sarah’s help, and together they attempt to bring the one responsible to justice.

April 22, 2013

“The Girl on the Stairs” by Barry Ernest – The Small Thorn you Can’t Ignore

Girl on the Stairs, by Barry Ernest and with a foreword written by David Lifton, is an exploration of one specific aspect of the JFK assassination. More precisely, it looks into what a little girl by the name of Victoria Adams saw on that day while standing in the staircase of the Texas School Book Depository, where Lee Harvey Oswald was supposedly making his escape. 

Actually, it is more about what she didn’t see than what she did see. Victoria was on the staircase Oswald supposedly used, at the exact same time he supposedly used it. If he were to be there, even the little girl she was, Victoria would have noticed a nervous man quickly running down the stairs. However, she says that on that day, she was alone there, with nobody to be found, especially Oswald.

April 19, 2013

“Me Before You” by Jojo Moyes – The Endless Wonders of Life

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (Book cover)
Louisa Clark is a young and ordinary girl who lives in a small village, outside of which she has never dared to venture. In other words, she knows very little about the world, spending most of her time wondering about all that it has to offer her.

Her life isn’t exactly a tragedy though; she has a steady life, a good boyfriend, and a loving family to make it through with every day.

April 18, 2013

“Hit List” by Richard Belzer and David Wayne – The Burden of Witness

In practically every murder case, there is always some witness out there who has heard or seen something, enough to shed light on the mystery. This is especially true when it comes to public and high-profile murders, such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy. 

As Richard Belzer and David Wayne explain it in Hit List, the thing which truly doesn’t sit right is the fact that in the next three years, eighteen witnesses to the murder died of some reason or another. As Jim Marrs pointed it out in his own book on the subject, Crossfire, the probability for such a chain of events happening has calculated, and the odds were 1 in 100,000 trillion.

April 17, 2013

“Delusion in Death” by J. D. Robb – The Hallucinogenic Murderer

When most of us thing of the enemies which can hurt us the most, we generally think of humans with either guns or briefcases. However, there are infinitely more devastating weapons in this world, some of which are naked to the invisible eye... airborne chemicals. 

In Delusion in Death by J. D. Robb, lieutenant Eve Dallas is called to a scene in a quaint downtown bar, where eight people lay dead. After interrogating the still-paranoid witnesses, she concludes that the whole bar had drinks spiked with some kind of potent hallucinogenic substance, which caused a murderous twelve minutes of mayhem. 

April 16, 2013

“Dead Wrong” by Richard Belzer and David Wayne – The Government’s Dirty Laundry

While death has always played a huge part in human history, over the course of the past century it feels that more celebrities and political figures were found dead or assassinated than before. The authors of the book Dead Wrong, Richard Belzer and David Wayne (with Jesse Ventura having written the afterword) believe that many of the deaths, including those of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and even Marilyn Monroe, were part of a government plot. 

Naturally, the author’s don’t simply whip their opinions out of thin air; most of the theories in this book is based on the analysis of the undisputed facts of each case, both scientific and forensic.

April 15, 2013

“Fever” by Maya Banks – Jealousy and Obsession

Fever by Maya Banks is the second part of The Breathless series, and if you can remember, the first book introduced us to three of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the country, Jace, Ash and Gabe. However, the first story was only concentrated on the last of these three characters. This time around, the story revolves around Jace and Ash. 

They have been best friends for years upon years, sharing practically everything with each other, even their women. However, one day they make the acquaintance of a young and infatuating woman by the name of Bethany, and Jace is overcome by powerful emotions, those of obsession and jealousy. Determined to keep Bethany for himself only, Jace is willing to do anything it takes, even if it means turning his back on his really one and only best friend.

April 13, 2013

“The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams – A Collection of Classics

The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (Book cover))
At this point, most of us have read, seen, or at least heard about The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a novel which famously put forth the number 42 as being the answer to life and everything.

Those of you who know the above only as an animated movie will probably be surprised to know that it is the first entry in a series of classic novels, with there being plenty of other storylines to explore in that world.

April 10, 2013

“Rush” by Maya Banks – An Odyssey into the Darkness

Rush by Maya Banks is the first book in what is known as The Breathless series, and it tells the story of Gabe Hamilton, one of the richest and most powerful men in the country. However, beneath his charming exterior beats a heart with much to hide from everyone. 

One day, he notices Mia Crestwell enter into the bathroom of his grand hotel, a young lady on who he had a crush ever since she was a teenager... and little did he know, Mia felt the same way towards him. 

April 9, 2013

“Life After Life” by Kate Atkinson – Immortality Revisited

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson - book cover
The year is 1910, with the night being dark, cold and snowy. A girl by the name of Ursula Todd is born. Then, she dies. Then, she is born again.

And so begins the long and tumultuous life of an immortal. In the aptly-named book, Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, we are told the story of the afore-mentioned girl, whose power is obviously to live after dying.

April 7, 2013

“Manuscript Found in Accra” by Paulo Coelho – The Blessing of Wisdom

Manuscript Found in Accra by Paulo Coelho (Book cover)
It is July 14th, 1099 AD., and Jerusalem is about to face the crusaders who have surrounded the city and its gates. For those who don’t feel like brushing up on their history, the Jerusalem Siege of 1099 ended with a decisive victory in favor of the crusaders, who as you probably know, weren’t renowned for their mercy (to say the least).

It is in this context that Manuscript Found in Accra by Paulo Coelho introduces us to The Copt, a mysterious Herald who appears out of nowhere, summons the folk of the city, and spends the next few nights speaking to and with them.

April 6, 2013

“The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon – The Power of Imagination

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Book cover)
Unfortunately, unlike many of us are taught, once the Second World War came to an end, the fighting took a lot longer to cease in certain regions of the world.

This goes more for Spain than anywhere else as even though the Spanish Civil War had officially come to an end, people of both sides were still at each other’s throats.

April 5, 2013

“Open: An Autobiography” by Andre Agassi – The Making of a Legend

While most people only watch tennis when there is no American football, soccer, basketball or hockey playing, dismissing it as being a lighter sport with less intrigue. However, there are many others who have taken the time to learn about the sport, its history as well as its players, and they know the emotions don’t run lower than in any other professional sport. Andre Agassi was one of the greatest tennis players of his time, having won a total of eight Grand Slams and claiming victories over some of the sport’s greatest athletes.

Open: An Autobiography is Andre Agassi’s tale, detailing the life he led to becoming one of the greatest tennis players of all time. It starts with his childhood during which he was already groomed to become a tennis champion by a demanding father. 

April 4, 2013

“The Sheltering Sky” by Paul Bowles – The Emptiness Inside

The Sheltering Sky, by Paul Bowles, is a book which tells story of three American travelers wandering in the cities and deserts of North Africa during the Second World War. More precisely, we follow the adventures of Port and Kit, a couple entangled in a lifeless marriage, and their friend George Tunner, who decides to join them in their adventures more out of impulsiveness rather than anything else. 

While the trio had hoped their journey across North Africa would breathe life into them, nothing of the sort happened; rather, they just found themselves in another type of prison. 

April 3, 2013

“Bonhoeffer” by Eric Metaxas – God’s Spy

While most of us know the gist of what happened during the Second World War, there are plenty of little stories that get far less recognition than they deserve, and many more being lost in time forever. The story of Bonhoeffer, fortunately, is still available to us, and in the book titled by the same name, Eric Metaxas covers his life.

Just who was Bonhoeffer exactly? For starters, he was a priest living in America. Just a regular person like any other. One day, however, he decides to leave America behind him in favor of going to... Germany. 

April 2, 2013

“Six Years” by Harlan Coben – Stranger than Fiction

Six Years by Harlan Coben (Book cover)
Six Years by Harlan Coben is a sort of mystery story, one that is a level above the rest in my opinion. It starts off with the introduction of our great hero, Jake Fisher. Six years ago, his wife left him to marry another, and he coped with it by investing himself in his career.

For all this time he has promised to leave Natalie alone, but on a faithful day, he sees the obituary of the man she left Jake for. Unable to contain himself, Jake goes on to attend his funeral, but while there, something strange happens: he sees the man’s wife, but she is not Natalie.

April 1, 2013

“World Without End” by Ken Follett – The Human Mind Corrupted

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that there are some truly terrible people in this world, some of which have committed mass genocides, bringing unimaginable pain and suffering to millions upon millions. 

Regardless of whether we are talking about a serial killer or a dictator, at the back of our minds, we do want to know how they have come to be where they are.