(5) = Best; (4) = Better; (3) = Good; (2) = Fair; (1) = OK
These abstracts serve as reminders to myself; they serve to "jog" my memory on what a book was all about. That's all. This is not a literary critique, not a social commentary, and certainly nothing profound to warrant further discussion.
(5) = means that I really enjoyed this book; (1) = means I finished reading it but wonder if my time could have been better spent elsewhere.
This is a fun children’s book.
Bo and Prosper’s mother died and left the two boys to Max and Esther Hartlieb. Esther plans on keeping Bo and putting the older brother into an orphanage. The two kids run away to Venice. The Hartlieb’s hire Victor Getz, a private detective to find them.
Bo and Prosper find themselves living with a group of other runaways led by Scipio, a charismatic 13 yr old who steal antiques and other valuables, gives them to the vagrants who sell them to Barbarossa – a Pawn broker of stolen goods. Barbarossa tells them that a wealthy elderly Count would like the Thief Lord to “retrieve” a valuable wooden part of a statue and in return they would be well rewarded. We learn that Scipio is the son of a famous doctor in Venice but is not recognized for his gifts, is ignored and treated like a child at home. His relationship with the runaways provide him an opportunity to exercise his leadership gifts. He is known as the “Thief Lord” and is idolized by the runaways.
Scipio’s father owns a run down theater that was closed, so Scipio uses it to provide housing for the runaways and supports the kids with money and “stolen” antiques from his home and from wealthy friends of his parents. The detective finds Bo and Prosper; they become friends. However, later, Bo is caught and is returned to the Hartliebs.
Scipio accepts the Count’s request. He learns that the sculpture is part of a magical merry-go-round that will not run without it; the merry-go-round enables a rider to grow older or younger depending on the direction it turns. He steals the sculpture, gives the sculpture to the Count but finds out later that the money is counterfeit. He and Prosper decide to confront the Count and visit the mysterious island where he lives. They are met by two gigantic dogs who were about to attack them when a young girl stops them. Her brother appears to find out what the barking is all about. And wouldn’t you know it – yep. The elderly Count and Countess had been transformed by the merry-go-round. Scipio decides to hop on the merry-go-round and make himself older. Barbarossa appears, does not recognized Scipio, does not know the secret of the merry-go-round and is tricked into riding on it. While he is being whizzed around Barbarossa tries to get off and wrecks the merry-go-round. He, nevertheless, is transformed into a sniveling little boy.
The detective, Scipio, and Prosper agree to encoourage Esther to adopt Barbarossa since she grew tired of Bo who made her life miserable. Esther really wants a perfect little gentleman of a child. Barbarossa sees this as an opportunity to be adopted by a rich family and his past knowledge of antiques, music and the arts impresses Esther – what a precocious little child! She adopts Barbarossa and after several years grows tired of his shinnanigans and places him in an orphanage where he terrorizes the kids and tells them he is the new Thief Lord. (4)
Two prominent men in the community are murdered: Tom Fielding, a Senior Officer of the firm that is building a new baseball stadium, and Jack Novak, a local drug dealer’s attorney of choice. Stella slept with Jack when she was a student in Law School a long time ago.
We are on the eve of a Mayoralty election in Steelton, a struggling blue collar midwestern city on the edge of Lake Erie. The city is on the cusp of an economic turn around with Steelton 2000, a development program promoted by the incumbent mayor that included a new baseball stadium. Stella Marz is Assistant Prosecuting Attorney. Her boss, Arthur Bright, is running against Tom Krajek who exploits the race card against his African American opponent in a subtle speech. Politically, Stella is forced to support Bright who promised to appoint her Prosecuting Attorney if he should be elected. She is determined to be the first female Prosecuting Attorney of Steelton.
Fielding was found in bed with a Black prostitute. He was murdered with a drug overdose, and on that same day, someone had castrated Jack Novak who was wearing a pair of black high heels, a garter belt and stockings at the time he died. The coroner says “it looks like an autoerotic scene.” Stella is assigned to investigate these killings. She is on an emotional roller coaster as she reflects on her father’s rejection, her determination to finish law school and the political climate that has brought her this far.
The political intrigued, the hidden layers of corporations used to hide stolen money, secret bank accounts, control of Steelton 2000 by a mafia-like drug dealer, additional murders, corruption at the highest level in the tiny city of Steelton – this is enough to boggle the mind. One needs to plot a chart posting the characters, organizations and relationships to outline what was happening. It was difficult to follow with the occasional flashbacks on Stella’s past. And wouldn’t you know it – there is no surprise ending.
Acknowledgments by the author was interesting. He says, “Dark Lady was a complex undertaking. Among other things, it required me to write about a woman’s life, urban politics, racial conflict, political corruption, organized crime, the construction of a baseball stadium, and a city which does not exist. Little wonder I needed help.” Yeah. I agree. Ditto. (3)
At the foot of Angels Flight, an inclined railway in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, Howard Elias is found murdered on the eve of a landmark trial. Howard Elias has charged the LAPD with racism and his success earned him the hatred of nearly every police officer in the city. Elias is a nationally famous, well known Black lawyer. The police chief, Mayor and the white leaders are worried about a race riot when this news is broken.
Harry Bosch is put in charge of the team investigating Elias’s murder, he knows his colleagues are likely to be his chief suspects. He also knows that the city’s smoldering racial tensions could ignite if he missteps.
He discovers Elias has information that will not only find his client, Michael Harris, innocent of kidnapping and the murder of Stacey Kincaid, but the information will lead to the arrest of Sam Kincaid, Stacey’s step-father, a wealthy and influential businessman in Los Angeles. Can you imagine child pornography? The incestuous relationship led to an accidental killing and Sam had his Security Guard, HD Richter, hide Stacey to frame Harris. Harris had been found guilty when his finger prints were all over Stacey’s books in her bedroom. What were his prints doing in her bedroom? The jury decides he must be guiilty. Everyone assumed he did it until our hero, Harry Bosch. finds out what really happened!
This is a typical Michael Connelly Harry Bosch detective story. The bureaucrats in the police department and city hamper Harry’s investigations; he is effective but his superiors do not like his style. He is a lone ranger but his team is loyal to him. Kincaid’s wife tells the truth to Harry. She is distraught and filled with guilt for not believing the daughter. The ending is quite spectacular – quite a surprise. But you will have to read the rest of the book to find out what happens. (3)
This is my first Sharon Kay Penman book. I enjoyed it. The Author tells us that many parts of the story are factual and she wrestles with how much license she can take of people who actually lived and events that truly happened.
Richard the Lionheart was taken prisoner on his way home from the Crusades in the Holy Land. His mother, Eleanor, Dowage Queen of England, Duchess of Aquitaine and one-time Queen of France, moved heaven and earth to raise the monumental ransom demanded for his freedom. Brother John did everything in his power to thwart Richard’s release, including armed rebellion and an alliance with the French King.
The rest of the story is fiction. The ransom raised in Wales for Richard’s freedom was stolen and the Queen appointed Justin de Quincy, a young man who has her trust to find the ransom. He is the bastard son of Aubrey, the Bishop of Chester. The Queen entrusted the Earl of Chester to assist Justin in any way he can. The reader is introduced to the beautiful countryside of Wales. Justin is the Queen’s Investigator – a kind of medieval detective. He interviews people at the crime scene, finds an eyewitness to the robbery who pretends not to remember what happened, meets a variety of characters and suspects and forms alliances with supportive new friends. Bennet and Molly, brother and sister, are childhood friends of Justin who meet him in a tavern where Bennet is manager and bouncer. They have a fun reunion as they’ve not seen one another is years. Justin had a crush on Molly. Bennet knows the lowlife in Chester and is in a position to help Justin. The eyewitness is persuaded by Justin to remember what happened and he learns that the robbers were not Welsh and not familiar with horses. Justin deduces they were sailors.
The plot is complicated from within the courthouse of Chester – a key suspect is poisoned unwittingly by a lover who thought she had concocted a “Love Potion” but when his body was found in a church, it had been stabbed after he died to make it look like he was killed by someone else. Fun! Of course, you can deduce who masterminded the robbery ??? (5)
“Sharon Key Penman’s lively, articulate prose brings to life history as it could have happened.” Houston Chronicle. “Her writing is faultless, deftly interweaving the threads of the various storylines into a glowing, living tapestry.” The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Ellis Thaler is a secret agent working for the CIA. Jean-Pierre is a secret agent working for the KGB. Both men kept their secret from Jane who loves both of them. They are all graduate students in Paris.
Jane is deeply in love with Ellis, but he keeps his feelings for her to himself. She senses he is hiding something from her and she is frustrated with him. Jean-Pierre has invited Jane to accompany him to Afghanistan. She teases Ellis about the invitation but he fails to tell her how much she means to him. She thinks he is rejecting her. She joins Jean-Pierre but he, too, keeps his secret away from her!
The setting is the Afghanistan War with Russia. Jean-Pierre is a doctor who treats Afghan rebels fighting against the Russians; he spies on them and radios their movements to the KGB. Ellis is on a secret mission to Afganistan on behalf of the United States President who wants to support the rebels with modern weapons provided that three of the major warlords will agree to fight together. They agree. The Russians finds out what Ellis’s mission is and are out to capture him and embarrass the United States.
Jane is disillusioned and angry when she discovers that Jean-Pierre has been spying on the rebels whom they have been treating and befriending. Her relationship with Ellis is rekindled and they decide to escape to Pakistan. Jean-Pierre is incensed when he learns that Jane has run away with Ellis. The outcome of this novel is predictable. There is a happy ending. (4)
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