If You Liked Fifty Shades of Grey, Try These...

I have received many requests for titles that are as 'hot' as the Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy. These novels sizzle with romance and are full of passion, but the writing in my opinion is better than Fifty Shades of Grey. My advice: read and enjoy!

After the Night by Linda Howard
Faith Devlin wanted to hate Gray Rouillard--not feel drawn to him. For Rouillard, the thought of Faith in a swirl of tangled sheets beneath him was unthinkable--because he planned to use all his power to ruin her. But uncovering old secrets and new desires is something they can only do together.

When he was Wicked By Julia Quinn
A Well written romance novel that leads away from the typical romance story. Initially the main character, Francesca Bridgerton is madly in love with her husband, who is not the hero of the story. The hero, Michael Stirling is in love with Francesca from the beginning. The story develops as death comes to the Bridgerton household. Michael has been waiting for years for Penelope and when they finally get together, it is worth the wait.

Bared to you by Sylvia Day
If you enjoyed the Fifty Shades trilogy you will enjoy this novel. Day is a brilliant writer and her novel is charged with electricity. Meet Gideon Cross multimillionaire, who is damaged. In walks Eva who is drawn to Gideon, although they are mirror opposites that are drawn together.

On Dublin Street by Samantha Young
Brilliantly written with an abundance of intrigue and of course, passion.
Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he's determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached. But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won't be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her… down to her very soul.

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

This is a beautifully written novel that will warm your heart, while it is breaking. Prepare for a roller coaster ride as Abby the "Good Girl" meets Travis the one night stand. This is a passionate love story filled with wit and plenty of sizzle. Abby is determined to remain innocent. Travis is determined to have her. When he makes Abby a bet, he anticipates an easy win. He has no idea it's anyone's game.    

Unleashed by Cherrie Lynn
What happens when your husband and your best friend's fiancee, have an affair? Why of course you get even.  Kelsey is shattered by her husband's betrayal and Evan, Kelsey's best friend, has an extra ticket to paradise. He vows to take Kelsey with him and make her realize she is the one for him.  

Double Time (Sinners on Tour, #5) by Olivia Cunning
This is an e-book, no cover to give you away. This is a hot read! There's snappy dialogue, scorching hot love scenes, rock stars and real life drama.

April's In the Queue

If the fine weather we've been having is keeping you inside, perhaps it is time to curl up and read one of the new titles from this month's In the Queue.





Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
When her high achieving 15-year-old daughter Amelia supposedly commits suicide her mother, Kate Baron, begins to reconstruct the pieces of Amelia's life to find the truth and vindicate the memory of her daughter. This is a literary thriller that despite its predicatablility is a wonderful novel.




Widow's Tears by Susan Wittig Albert
Mystery lovers will adore this unique mystery series. China Bales investigates the murder of a teller at the Pecan Springs Bank and follows the clues to a haunted bed and breakfast, which leads to even more intrigue.





Waiting to Be Heard: A Memoir by Amanda Knox
20-year-old Amanda Knox spent four years in a foreign prison for a crime she did not commit. Separated from her family, she was demonized by the International press and treated harshly by the Italian justice system, including the Italian police. This is her harrowing account of what she went through during her incarceration.

 

Crime Writers Not from Sweden

A year or two ago I wrote a blog entry on Swedish crime writers and their extreme popularity.  However, Sweden is not the only Scandinavian country with talented mystery and thriller authors.  Try some of these other great books from the cold, dark North:

Jussi Adler-Olsen--Denmark--his best-selling crime thrillers about Dept. Q are all set in Denmark and are: Keeper of Lost Causes, The Absent One, and A Conspiracy of Faith (on order).

K. O. (Kjell Ola) Dahl--Norway--he writes crime novels with a psychological twist.  They feature Oslo detectives Frank Frolich and Inspector Gunnarstranda: The Fourth Man, The Man in the Window, and The Last Fix.

Tom Egeland--Norway--his series of thrillers star albino archeologist Bjorn Belto: Relic (on order) and Guardians of the Covenant.

Thomas Enger--Norway--he is a journalist, children's author, and thriller writer.  His series features crime journalist Henning Juul:  Burned and Pierced.

Karin Fossum--Norway--she is known as the "Norwegian queen of crime" and for her award-winning Inspector Konrad Sejer series: In the Darkness (on order), Don't Look Back, He Who Fears The Wolf, When the Devil Holds the Candle, The Indian Bride, Black Seconds, The Water's Edge, Bad Intentions, and The Caller.

Peter Hoeg--Denmark--his thrilling novel Smila's Sense of Snow made him an international literary celebrity.  His newest book (not a thriller) is The Elephant Keeper's Children.

Anne Holt--Norway--she is one of the most successful crime novelists in Norway and writes two series: Hanne Wilhelsen, a lesbian police officer featured in Blind Goddess, Blessed Are Those Who Thirst, and 1222 plus the Vik and Stabo series: What Is Mine and What Never Happens.

Jo Nesbo--Norway--he is a rock musician and author of the award-winning Inspector Harry Hole series: The Bat (on order), The Redbreast, Nemesis, The Devil's Star, The Redeemer, The Snowman, The Leopard, and Phantom.

Now the following authors' books are being ordered and should be here soon:

Jorn Lier Horst--Norway--Chief Inspector William Wisting series.

Arnaldur Indridason--Iceland--award-winning Reykjavik Murder Mysteries series.

Leena Lehtolainen--Finland--Detective Maria Kallio series.

Yrsa Sigurdardottir--Iceland--sexy lawyer/investigator Thora Gudmundsdottir series.

And if you still can't make it through your day without a little Swedish mystery then try these authors from my old blog entry:  Swedish crime writers.

Monuments Men

Most people are well aware of the many and varied types of struggles against Hitler and Nazi Germany during World War II. However, not many people that I speak with are aware of how disruptive and nearly destructive the war was to the artistic heritage of all of Europe. As part of Hitler’s overall campaign, he would strip entire museums (to include the Louvre) and galleries in occupied cities with the intent on purging all of the degenerate works, hoarding the remainder for the Germany. The vast majority of this art was stored in train cars, buildings, caves, and even old mines until the Nazis could catalogue it all. However, when the Allies began to push the Nazis back, each cache of art was rigged to explode, with orders to not let in fall into the hands of the Allies. Monuments Men is the story of a small group of soldiers who formed a special unit with the intent of quite literally saving the artistic heritage of the Western World.

The soldiers in this unit ranged from Second Lieutenant James J Rorimer, the Curator of the Cloisters at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, to Private First Class Lincoln Kirstein, Founder of the New York City Ballet. The tale follows the men, from their training in England to a salt mine in Altuasse, Austria, that contained the largest cache of art and was rigged with bombs in crates marked as marble sculpture. Over the course of this journey, the Monuments Men would follow and occasionally race ahead of US Army units actively engaged in combat. This includes one Monuments Man that had to keep up with Gen. Patton! Fans of art history and Word War II alike, will find this to be a fascinating story who took it upon themselves to rescue something easily overlooked in the middle of the war, works of art.

As a side note, there is plans to make the book, or at least portions of it into a movie. To keep tabs on this project or learn more information regarding the Monuments Men and their work visit http://www.monumentsmenfoundation.org/  

 

 

 

 

March's In the Queue

 
 
Here are some wonderful new reads for March.

Sleight of Hand: A Novel of Suspense
by Phillip Margolin

Charles Benedict has framed a millionaire for the murder of his much younger wife. Even better he was asked to defend the millionnaire. It's the perfect crimes, unless Dana Cutler can conjure a few tricks of her own to take down a cunning psychopath and expose his diabolic plot before he works his deadly magic on her.

All You Could Ask For
By Mark Greenberg

A tender and insightful debut novel of friendship and love, heartbreak and renewal, which is played out in the lives of three unforgettable women. All three discover the power of friendship to conquer adversity, the satisfaction of unexpected delights, and the incredible difference one human being can have on other lives.

 

Carrie and Me: A Mother Daughter Love Story

By Carol Burnett

Carol Burnett writes a beautiful tribute to her daughter. She paints a portrait of an unforgettable young woman that will bring hope to anyone struggling with raising or losing a child. You'll laught, cry, but mostly you'll be inspired.

 

Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls
By David Sedaris
David Sedaris creates a new collection of essays that will leave readers laughing as they travel with him through bizarre adventures. Sedaris takes  readers from the  perils of French dentistry then it's on to the eating habits of the Australian kookaburra. We learn about the absurdity and delight of a curious traveler's experiences. Whether railing against the habits of litterers in the English countryside or marveling over a disembodied human arm in a taxidermist's shop, Sedaris takes us on side-splitting adventures that are not to be forgotten.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh—aviatrix, author, mother, wife

The ways we choose to define ourselves can stifle our potential. This seems to be the lesson that Melanie Benjamin is trying to get across in The Aviator’s Wife. Melanie Benjamin, a.k.a. Melanie Hauser, created an intriguing historical novel about the life of Anne Morrow Lindbergh that gives the reader an idea of what the Lindbergh household was like behind closed doors.

We get the very brief history of Charles Lindbergh and the Lindbergh baby kidnapping in school, but we get very little information about anything else pertaining to the Lindbergh family. The media relentlessly hounded Anne and Charles for years, Charles was a dominating monster of sorts, and the Lindberghs went on to have 5 children that learned of their parents’ past in school the same way we do. Yes, their parents never told them about “the events of ’32.” While reading the book, I was constantly cross referencing other resources to verify facts and get more in-depth information. I was amazed to find out that Anne Lindbergh accomplished so much in her lifetime, but she fails to make the cut when we discuss the history of flight. Along the same lines, I also enjoyed Amelia Earhart’s brief and unflattering cameo early in the book. The text is also a gentle reminder about the struggles of women in the early 20^th century and the traditions and expectations that many women had to overcome to create a life and name for themselves. Anne Lindbergh may not be showcased in many history books, but she led a life of accomplishment in many arenas.

While I will not say that this book is one of the best I’ve read, I will say that I enjoyed the book for the story and the education I received. The beginning of the book was very slow and some of Anne’s ponderings were a bit too flowery and drawn out, but stick with it. Just like Wikipedia, historical fiction can be a springboard—read, enjoy, then fact check using the referenced resources. Of course, there is always the option to just read the book for pure enjoyment.

Looking For a Good 1940's Mystery?

I recently "investigated" some 1940's murder mysteries for a patron.  They range from World War II New York, Washington DC, and London to swing music to late 1940's Los Angeles and Hollywood.  If you are a historical fiction fan who likes a little mystery, then these are the books for you.

The Song is You
Megan E. Abbot
A smooth-talking Hollywood publicist looks into the 1949 case of a missing starlet.

Dead of Winter
Rennie Airth
Former detective John Madden investigates the murder of a young Polish girl in wartime London.

Miss Dimple Disappears
Mignon F. Ballard
Miss Dimple is a teacher in wartime Georgia.

Billy Boyle
James R. Benn
Billy Boyle is an Irish-American cop who becomes Eisenhower's personal investigator.

Face of the Enemy
Joanne Dobson
Louise Hunter is a nurse in WWII New York.

The Black Dahlia
James Ellroy
Based on the notorious unsolved L. A. murder in the late 1940's.

Full Dark House
Christopher Fowler
Arthur Bryant and John May are detectives in WWII London.

Too Dead to Swing
Hal Glatzer
Katy Green is an amateur P.I. and professional violinist for an all-girls Swing band in the 40's.

Season of Darkness
Maureen Jennings
Inspector Tom Tyler is a detective in rural England during 1940.

Berlin Noir (March Violets, The Pale Criminal, and A German Requiem)
Phillip Kerr
1930's Berlin ex-policeman Bernie Gunther goes freelance in late 1940's Vienna.

Don't Die Under the Apple Tree
Amy Patricia Meade
New Yorker Rosie O'Doyle Keefe (Rosie the riveter) works in the World War II shipyards.

Devil in a Blue Dress
Walter Mosley
"Easy" Rawlins is a young, black veteran in 1948 L. A. who runs errands for a mobster.

This Dame for Hire
Sandra Scoppettone
Faye Quick is a secretary for a private eye in 1943 Manhattan.

Louise's War
Sarah R. Shaber
Louise Pearlie is a young widow who clerks for the O.S.S. in 1942 Washington, D.C.

Let me know what you think and if you have any other favorites, please let me know.

Useful Enemies: John Demjanjuk and America's Open-Door Policy for Nazi War Criminals

It’s rare that I read a book that utterly floors me with what it reveals, but Useful Enemies: John Demjanjuk and America’s Open-Door Policy for Nazi War Criminals by Richard Rashke is one such book. I remember the furor that erupted around John Demjanjuk, a Ukranian immigrant living in Cleveland, when in 1986 he was deported to Israel and tried as an accessory to the murder of thousands of Jews, as he was believed to be “Ivan the Terrible,” a sadistic guard at the Treblinka concentration camp. Eventually acquitted and his U.S. citizenship restored, Demjanjuk was later deported to Germany in 2009 to stand trial again as an accessory to murder while serving as a guard at the Sobibor concentration camp; he died in 2012 while awaiting appeal.

While the bulk of Useful Enemies deals with Demjanjuk, what really disturbed me was the shameful fact that hundreds of Nazi war criminals were allowed into the U.S., many of whom were actively recruited by the government in its efforts against communism during the Cold War. Take for instance Nazi collaborator Viorel “Valerian” Trifa, whose rabble-rousing resulted in a three-day pogrom in Bucharest in which up to one thousand Jews were tortured and killed. After the war, he lied his way into the U.S. and in less than five years became a nationally recognized bishop in the Romanian Orthodox Church despite the fact that his past was known. Trifa even delivered the opening prayer of the 1955 session of the U.S. Senate! If your jaw just dropped when you read that, mine did too. When one recalls how unwilling the U.S. was to admit Jewish immigrants while Hitler was thumping his chest in Germany and threatening to rid all of Europe of its “Jewish Problem,” this postwar open-door policy with Nazis is downright disgusting. That these individuals seemed to be magically protected from deportation makes the matter even more deplorable, and even when diligent federal investigators such as Anthony DeVito caught wind of Nazis hiding in plain sight, they found their investigations thwarted at every turn by the very organizations they worked for. In fact, the only time the government seemed compelled to act was when it was publicly shamed into doing so, thanks in large part to the efforts of Brooklyn Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman, whose determinedness in ensuring that Nazi war criminals residing in the U.S. were found and deported would eventually lead investigators to John Demjanjuk.

Useful Enemies is one heck of an eye-opener and should be required reading for everyone, especially those wishing to know more about this shameful chapter in American history. 

How the Irish Saved Civilization

In honor of the start of March and the impending St. Patrick’s Day, I opted to pick up Tomas Cahill’s How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland’s Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe. I had actually picked up this long-winded title for a class project a number of years ago, but the demands of the course prevented me from a full read.

Now, I would not recommend reading this book with any academic intent. His treatment of the complexity fall of Rome (which will likely be debated as long as the Roman Empire is taught subject matter) has some issues. He seems to take a few poetic liberties to try to better place his later arguments. However, for all the oddities of the initial chapter the rest of the book more than makes up for it with the subsequent chapters. Cahill’s depictions of how Ireland’s monks and scholars worked to preserve and spread knowledge are both charming and approachable. Admittedly, he can meander at times and does get drawn into the odd detail, but to me, it felt very much within the spirit of the subject.

All in all, I would highly recommend this book for those getting into the spirit, or even just anyone interested in learning a little bit more about the past and how it relates to modern times. But be warned, if you are a history buff or prefer your histories more academic, there are sections that you may get frustrated with.

The Trial of Fallen Angels

What would you do if you were asked to be a lawyer for the Final Judgment and then were told to represent a Nazi SS officer who killed thousands of people; the mother who abused her child or even your own murderer? The job requires you to be fair and impartial. You are to give a fair presentation of all sides of the individual's life so God can determine whether or not the person goes to heaven.  This is no simple task. Would you be able to do this?  This is the question Brek Cuttler is faced with in The Trial of Fallen Angels by James P. Kimmel. 

Kimmel's novel is an intriguing,thought provoking spiritual journey.  As it turns out it is not just Brek's journey but also the readers.  The story is moving and as you watch Brek learn that justice for one is not always justice. The story offers true revealation.  The age old adage of love your enemies is brought to the forefront of this novel. Brek Cuttler is asked to love her enemies. No that is not quite right, she is asked to forgive them.  Forgive her murderer? How can she be expected to forgive him?  She can find compassion for others, just not him... This is a beautiful story that passes faster than you might imagine. The pages of this book turn quickly and as you listen to Brek's journey you realize the journey is also your own.  I recommend that no matter your faith or religious beliefs that you read this book from cover to cover. I was entranced. It is a beautiful testament to love and forgiveness.