Welcome to our April, 2007 fiction and mystery book reviews. As
we say, good fiction is mastery of the art of storytelling, where the imagination soars, the intellect is
broadened, and the heart yearns for more. We try to review the best mystery books, sharing amusing works of
fiction and other novels that you probably won't find covered in your local newspaper. Here are some
fiction books we know you'll enjoy. We hope you enjoy this look back at our April 2007
fiction and mysteries reviews.
This is a story told in three books. In the first book, its 1983 when we meet Kathleen O'Toole, a fifteen year-old Irish girl who knows real loss. She's lost her family to an bombing in the Troubles. She joins the Irish Republican Army through which she meets Omar, who also knows real loss. His family was slaughtered when the Shah of Iran stole the clan’s island home in the Persian Gulf. Bent on revenge, Omar becomes a modern-day pirate and skipper of a mysterious warship that’s invisible to radar. Kathleen and Omar fiercely manage to hold on to their love, and have two sons, even as the circumstances of their lives would seem to prevent forever any normalcy.
Book two of The Vengeance Trilogy sees this family come apart somewhat as they are overtaken by duplicity and violence in what feels like a mix of ‘The Italian Job’ and ‘The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight.’ Book three of the trilogy brings the family back together, as Kathleen and Omar start to find a way to carry their little family out of the lust for vengeance and the quest for violence that has held them all captive for so many years. Its the sort of story we don't appreciate in the US as much as we should. Network television news simply doesn't give us any sense of the world outside of North America. You won't be disappointed having read this novel.
Here's a nightmare for you. Its 2084 and the United States has become a neo-theocracy
headed by Supreme Court Justice Everett Huston. Civil rights are nearly gone and
its up to a small group of rebels to fight for freedom.
You'd be wrong to assume this is common sci-fi scenario, or simplistic thriller.
Durer's prose has a cultural depth that escapes so much modern literature. We
see subtleties in the villains and flaws in the heroes. The questions in this story
are certainly among those we should be asking ourselves in these days of fear
and tension. But there's no preaching here. Its a story of people as much as
principles, and its an enriching look at the precipice we seem to be careening toward.
This latest in the series of Mrs. Murphy mysteries casts its long shadow into
the world of horse shows. Rita Mae Brown's usual menagerie of Mrs. Murphy and her owners,
accompanied by a Corgi named Tucker and a cat named Pewter are on the trail of a
burglary and a horse-napping. Its a wild, wooly ride with a lot of fun for all.
Emily Hamilton is a fifty year-old theology teacher at All Saints co-ed
Catholic High School in California. Less of a mystery than a tale of
a modern day woman teaching in a Catholic high school, the story evolves
slowly and heads toward that inevitable twist that readers usually expect.
I was more interested in Emily's emotions than the story, as you can see.
Having survived a Catholic education myself, its always intriguing to
hear how that environment has changed in the *bleep* years since I was
in it.
If it isn't religeous radicals or nuclear armageddon, then the nightmare
future must be the result of rampant capitalism. Sure enough, Jack Dann
weaves a tale of a world ruled by mega-corporations. But at the root,
this is the story of a man desparately seeking a woman he's lost in a
world that's terrified of people with psychic abilities. Morality has
been turned on its head in this world, with new levels of decadence.
Its an interesting take on a familiar theme. The book won several
awards and has been well-reviewed elsewhere. I was not enjoying it
enough to read it through and left the world in chaos without regret.
As a recovering collectibles dealer and an avid fan of both 'Antiques
Roadshow's and, of course, the British television series 'Lovejoy', I couldn't
resist this title. And I was truly gratified for my effort. Ms. Berge
spins many tales of the slightly shady world of antiques, with the
hustlers, crooks, and characters, she differentiates them by environment.
From posh shops to flea markets, she creates characters with feeling
substance, and a passion for the trade and the rewards it can bring.
Be sure to visit us again next month when we'll
review more helpful fiction and mysteries. Our
fiction book reviews are written by our Editor, Richard L. Trethewey.
Rainbo Electronic Reviews' fiction book reviews are published monthly. Back issues of our
reviews are available from the Rainbo Reviews Backissues Archive.
We're proud to announce that the reviews archive is now searchable by category so you can find great mysteries we've reviewed in the past.
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