The Death Instinct by Jed Rubenfeld

In the spirit of Erik Larson, Jed Rubenfeld has woven a fictional story of intrigue and suspense around an horrifying actual event, the 1920 bombing of Wall Street by unknown terrorists. The novel revolves around three main characters, WWI veteran Dr. Stratham Younger, NY Detective James Littlemore, and Colette Rousseau, a French radiochemist. While strolling down Wall Street, their world explodes when terrorists use a horse and buggy loaded with explosives and shrapnel to attack America’s financial heart. What follows is a gripping tale of political suspense, international intrigue and the discovery of mankind’s darkest secret, the unstoppable instinct to wage war and face death.

There are multiple story lines running throughout the novel at the same time. Littlemore’s pursuit of the terrorists from New York to DC, only to discover that the FBI has already decided with little evidence that Italian anarchist were to blame. A US senator, in a storyline which disturbingly mirrors our government’s response to the 9/11 attacks, distorting the evidence to point to Mexico in order to save US oil interests in that country. Younger and Colette’s travels to Austria in pursuit of Colette’s missing fiancée. A US business man does whatever it takes to keep control of the world radium market. Even Dr. Sigmund Freud and Madame Curie make appearances throughout the book. All these facets in the story can become tiring at times to the reader but the author does an excellent job of tying them all together in the end for a very compelling and satisfying read.

 

 

While writing this, I was listening to "You And I" from "Hear Me Now" by Secondhand Serenade

Postmark by Samantha Chase

In an upscale neighborhood on the outskirts of Washington DC, everything appears quiet and peaceful from the outside but on the inside it is a different story. Someone is breaking into vacant houses and vandalizing them. This is the least of Johanna Hamilton’s worries because her ex-husband, Rick, is stalking her and sending her threatening letters. On top of that, someone is abducting and murdering little girls who closely resemble her daughter. Are the break-ins and abductions related? Could Rick be involved?

Enjoy the race against time as Detective Dan Whitmore tries to connect the dots between the burglaries, letters, and abductions before the killer can get to Johanna and her daughter. In a style similar to Mary Higgins Clark but racier, Samantha Chase has woven together a thrilling tale of mystery and suspense. 

 

 

While writing this, I was listening to "Freak Out" from "Outside" by Tapes 'n Tapes

Troublemaker: A Barnaby and Hooker Graphic Novel, Book 2 by Janet Evanovich, Alex Evanovich, Joelle Jones, and Andy Owens (Nov

I just reread my review of Troublemaker, Book 1 and realized I never really said anything about the story itself. Both books feature Alex Barnaby and Sam Hooker. Sam is a NASCAR driver and Alex is his mechanic and spotter. Throughout both books they battle with the voodoo underground of Florida to recover a wooden statue of a ancient voodoo master which was stolen from a local museum. The supporting cast of characters add to the humor and adventure of the story. The artwork is bright and entertaining. As I stated in my earlier review, this is an excellent light and quick read. Enjoy.

 

 

While writing this, I was listening to "Hysteria" from "Absolution" by Muse

New Year Blah, Blah, Blahs

BE POSITIVE – BE HEALTHY – BE ACTIVE

That was my motto for 2010 in lieu of resolutions. I started out ok but miserably failed by year’s end. Sometime around mid summer I hit a wall and fell into a funk and depression. I became more negative and began to eat compulsively regaining the 20 lbs. that I had lost the first part of year. I withdrew into myself and away from those around me. I can’t explain it, I can’t even put it into words so someone else could explain it to me. Thank goodness I have an extremely patient and loving wife. 

So with that said, let’s look at 2011. I think I’ll keep the motto for another year and work to live up to it. I‘m also going to add a few rules to go along with the motto.

1. NO ELEVATORS – unless I have an armload of heavy stuff or am pushing a book cart at work, it’s the stairs for me.

2. NO SWEETS – candy and cookies are like Lay’s potato chips to me. “You can’t eat just one”. Maybe I should add chips to this rule as well.

3. DRINK MORE – more water and less soda (diet and regular).

4. LESS DRAMA – I tend to allow myself to get pulled into other peoples’ drama and then allow it to affect my own attitude. I also tend to create my own drama and then feel remorseful\depressed when I realize how stupid I’ve been. This tends to lead to the downward spiral I encountered this year.

I know this doesn’t sound like much but believe me it’s going to be tough.

As for the rest of the year, Evelyn, my lovely wife, has expressed an interest in doing more cultural events such as concerts, etc.… Since she put up with my depressed and cranky ass this year, she deserves this and much more so I also resolve to be more attentive and responsive to her in the coming year.

Wish me luck!

 

 

While writing this, I was listening to "Serves Me Right To Suffer" from "The Alligator Records-20th Anniversary Collection" by Jimmy Bishop

(P.S. – I know the above line looks planned but it’s randomly generated. Honest. I set iTunes to shuffle  and listen to music while I use Windows Live Writer to write this blog. When I reach the end of an entry, I click on the “Now Playing” plugin which adds the last line. It is completely random.)